NEW BRAUNFELS — Megan Hawkins makes her way to seemingly every corner of Ben Hardy Gymnasium. She’s going through drills, collecting discarded volleyballs and interacting with teammates and coaches during water breaks. Her attention to detail is keen.

It’s nearly 8 a.m. on a recent Friday, and the New Braunfels Canyon High School volleyball team is conducting one of its final practices before the start of the UIL Class 5A state playoffs.

Hawkins, a senior setter/outside hitter and undisputed team leader, loves this time of the season because it entails the pursuit of an ultimate prize. This year, though, her anticipation is about making up for something that was lost.

A year ago, with the Cougarettes carrying realistic aspirations of advancing to the state tournament, Hawkins broke her right wrist in an automobile accident only days before the team’s opening-round playoff match. Her season was over in a flash. A scar serves as a reminder.

“When I look at (the scar), I think about how hard it was, and how hard I had to work, to get back to the position where I was,” Hawkins said.

Where Hawkins finds herself is leading New Braunfels Canyon (39-9) on another journey for a title. The team defeated Leander 25-11, 25-18, 25-14 in a 5A bidistrict match on Monday in Buda.

Back in early August, when the Cougarettes gathered for preseason workouts, they weren’t sure if they would even make the playoffs. They returned only two seniors, Hawkins and middle hitter Josslyn Abel, with meaningful playing time and competed in rugged District 26-5A with the likes of Smithson Valley, Kerrville Tivy, Boerne Champion and Pieper.

“I think I was definitely a little bit nervous just about how the team would look,” Canyon junior libero Sala Nuu said. “I knew we would be good, but I didn’t know how good we were going to be because we lost 10 people. That’s a whole courtful.”

Slowly but surely, through the fires of ultra-competitive tournaments in Katy, New Braunfels and Leander, the Cougarettes found their way. The turning point perhaps came at the hometown Fraulein Volleyfest, where New Braunfels Canyon finished second and defeated Brandeis, Leander Rouse, O’Connor and Antonian.

“It really showed us who we can be and how we can play,” Abel said. “That really set the bar for us. After that, we were like, ‘We can really do this if we’re all on the same page and all are putting in the same hard work.’ “

The optimism got an early test when the Cougarettes lost at home to Kerrville Tivy in a District 26-5A opener. They, however, rebounded and won their final 13 league contests to secure their fourth straight title, winning 57 of 60 district matches during the span.

“As soon as we started playing, even though we were a very new team, I knew this team was going to be good if we played like we did in tournaments,” New Braunfels Canyon sophomore outside hitter Marlee Lightsey said.

It was a remarkable feat for a team that graduated the majority of last year’s 41-win squad. But there’s no denying who set the tone — Hawkins.

“The common thread,” New Braunfels Canyon coach Heather Sanders said of Hawkins, who started on all four district winners. “I think the thing that distinguishes Megan from so many is she’s so tough. She’s just a tape-it-up-and-go kind of kid. She’s so physically tough and so mentally tough.”

Hawkins was forced to turn to those attributes following the events of the night of Oct. 26, 2022. Driving home from a friend’s house around 9:30 p.m., Hawkins hit a pothole while making a sharp turn and lost control of her car. The vehicle slid and flipped over into a nearby ditch.

“I remember being upside in my car, and my first thought was, ‘We have a playoff game in three days,’ ” Hawkins recalled. “I was shaking my wrists, and I was like, ‘Why does this one feel weird?’ “

Hawkins unbuckled her seat belt, and through broken glass, crawled to the backseat to retrieve her cell phone and call her parents. By the time she returned home from the hospital early the next morning, the images of the horrifying wreck began to sink in. The front end of her car was smashed and both front tires were ripped off the rims.

“I was blessed to only be walking out with just a wrist injury,” Hawkins said.

Hours later at practice, Sanders and her team gathered in a conference room where they watched film. The coach told the players about Hawkins’ accident, but at the time didn’t know the severity.

“Walking into practice that morning, we knew something was off,” said Abel, one of Hawkins’ close friends. “When (Sanders) told us, we were all so devastated. We were all in shock. We all started crying. Her life is more important than any win that we can …”

So emotional was the meeting that Sanders canceled practice. Steve Teel, president of Very Bold Ministries and leader of a coaches outreach group, happened to be on campus and sat and prayed with the team. Later that day, Hawkins’ father brought Megan to the school.

“She could barely move, she was black and blue, but we were all so happy just to see her and know that she was alive and well,” Sanders said.

The Cougarettes had to adjust on the fly for the impending playoffs. Senior Trista Henson and Nuu would have to take over the setting duties in Hawkins’ absence. New Braunfels Canyon, playing for its injured teammate, defeated Cedar Park in bidistrict and Alamo Heights in the second round, but fell in a 25-22, 34-32, 27-25 heartbreaker in the regional quarterfinals to Liberty Hill, which ended up making it to the state tournament.

“I feel like if we had Megan last year, we would’ve gotten farther than third round,” Nuu said. “I think that this year we’re all just determined. We’re going all out after every ball. We’re going to keep our mindset positive, no matter what the situation is.”

Hawkins was sidelined for three months after surgery, which required the insertion of a plate and led to issues with scar tissue. When she returned during the club season, Hawkins admitted to struggling to return to form.

“It’s so mental,” Hawkins said. “You want to get back so bad.”

Nearing the end of her final high school season, with a scholarship to Division Louisiana-Lafayette in hand, Hawkins’ sights are only winning an elusive state title. The Cougarettes lost in the regional final in Hawkins’ freshman year in 2020 and in five sets after leading 2-0 in the state semifinals in 2021.

So determined is Hawkins, she was willing to take on added duty as a hitter and a role model for freshman setter Logan Sanders, the coach’s daughter. Hawkins ended the regular season third on the team with 305 kills and added 735 assists, 442 digs, 88 aces and 24 blocks.

“It’s kind of bittersweet,” Hawkins said. “I think that every year we’ve been able to go so far because we had so many people that were so driven. I’m excited for college, so I’m excited to go be somewhere else, but if I could take another year here, and I could play here again, I’d want to. I love it.”

terrence@terrencesports.com
Twitter: @sa_terrence1