After initially deciding not to continue her volleyball career at the next level following a recruiting visit to Amarillo College in 2023, former West Plains High School standout Jayli Franklin had a change of heart.
Following a hard sell recruiting pitch by AC head coach Scott Sandel to freshman libero McCall Sims – a high school teammate and childhood best friend – and a bit of soul searching, Franklin decided to join the team despite missing the first 10 days of practice.
Fast forward six weeks and the Amarillo native is now atop the AC record book.
Franklin tied the single game school record for hitting percentage in a match (.533) with 18 kills on 30 swings during Amarillo College’s 3-0 victory against Clarendon College (25-22, 25-21, 25-19) on Sept. 28 at the FirstBank Southwest Center.
With the win, the Badgers (9-11, 2-2) improved their record to 7-0 all-time against the Bulldogs (16-8, 0-4) since AC’s reboot of athletics in 2022.
Franklin played an equally important role for the Badgers success on the defensive end. The 5-foot-10 outside hitter successfully received all 18 serves that came her way during the three-set match – resulting in one of the top passer ratings of the season (2.44) for players with at least five pass attempts.
Kaela Neie, a three-time Western Junior College Athletic Conference Player of the Week honoree, tied a team-high block total (3) and had 14 kills by way of a .290 hitting percentage.
Lentz tied her second-highest assist total of the season (24) during the sweep of CC.
Freshman Jaelynn Jackson added three blocks to improve her team-best stuff total to 31 on the season.
Up next for the Badgers is a road trip to Western Texas College (8-13, 0-4) on Wednesday, Oct. 2 and an away match at Frank Phillips College (8-13, 3-1) on Saturday, Oct. 5.
No. 12 Odessa College claims win over AC on Wednesday
Heading into Wednesday’s matchup against 12th ranked Odessa College on the road, Amarillo College had an 0-6 record against ranked opponents in 2024.
The Badgers winless streak against ranked foes moved to seven games against a Wranglers unit, which is led by returning first team all-conference setter Jade Cuya.
The sophomore tallied a game-best 34 assists and Odessa College outhit AC (.348 to .045) in terms of hitting percentage during the third conference matchup of the season for both teams.
Badger freshman Kre Hicks – a right-side hitter from Stephenville – had her most efficient offensive outing of the season via a .467 hitting percentage (7 kills on 15 swings) during the loss.
Amarillo College is currently in a three-way tie for fourth place in the WJCAC following Saturday’s victory over the Bulldogs. The following is the current conference standings heading into the third week of WJCAC play.
1. New Mexico Military Institute – 4-0
T2. Odessa College – 3-1
T2. Frank Phillips College – 3-1
T4. New Mexico Junior College – 2-2
T4. Amarillo College – 2-2
T4. Midland College – 2-2
T. 7 Clarendon College – 0-4
T. 7 Western Texas College – 0-4