LHS libero Hirst headed to Hill
By JEREMY HEATH Staff Writer

PHOTO BY JEREMY HEATH Davina Hirst, center, will play volleyball at Hill College. From left: Hill assistant coach Blair Greenwood, LHS head coach Tracey Myers, sister Mikala Hirst, mother Sandra Tulk, stepfather Justin Tulk, sister Kasandra Hirst, Hill head coach Alaena Chilson and LHS assistant Kalin Wells.

Davina Hirst was the Lampasas High School volleyball team's defensive leader last fall.

The senior standout played both defensive specialist and libero, depending on the particular needs of her team at any time. Her consistent play on the back row was a major reason first-year coach Tracey Myers' squad improved throughout the season and picked up the program's first district win in three years.

Now Hirst will get the opportunity to make the same kind of impact at the next level.

On Wednesday, she signed a letter of intent to play at Hill College in Hillsboro.

"I'm really excited to actually be playing in college," Hirst said. "It took a lot of hard work and dedication to get to where I'm at."

Hirst participated in a tryout at Hill in December. With four defensive players returning from last year, Hill head coach Alaena Chilson was selective in choosing the one defensive player she could afford to extend a partial scholarship.

It didn't take long for Chilson to realize Hirst was going to be that player.

"At the tryout in December, she really stood out among the defensive players," Chilson said.

"She's a good athlete - very well-rounded. She plays with fire, and she's a dynamic player. I expect her to be a leader as a freshman and transition into the starting libero as a sophomore.

"There will be a lot of weight on her shoulders."

Once offered an opportunity to play, it didn't take Hirst long to make her decision.

"I loved the team because they were so welcoming," Hirst said.

"I definitely like the coach, and when I met everyone, I just felt at home."

The home she's leaving won't be the same. Myers said Hirst's signing will make a positive future impact on her program because younger players who might be trying to decide between volleyball and other sports will realize there are college coaches with their eyes on Lampasas.

"It just means a lot to the program itself to know there are coaches out there interested in you," Myers said. "It just adds to the whole program when kids see they can play college ball - that people will watch us."