Led by local stars, Amarillo College volleyball returns for program's fourth season

With the calendar now turned to August, sporting events will return in the Texas Panhandle later this month.

While high school football is on the forefront of most minds across the Lone Star State, college athletics are set to start up again around Amarillo in the coming weeks. Back for the program's fourth season, Amarillo College volleyball has already taken the court for practice and will compete in regular season matches starting Friday, Aug. 22.

The Badgers will play in a pair of scrimmages at Cisco College on Aug. 13 before a four-game stint at the New Mexico Military Institute Classic to start the 2025 campaign.

After an 11-19 performance last year that saw AC secure its first ranked win in program history, head coach Scott Sandel brings back a few second-year standouts to go along with a solid freshman class that features multiple local athletes.

"This is the year we need to make the turn," Sandel said. "Make the tournament, kind of see what happens from there. I think we're right there as far as the program, as far as a team. It's not going to be easy, but that's that's kind of where I believe we should be."

Former West Plains trio McCall Sims, Jayli Franklin and Abigale Ramsey are all set to begin their sophomore years as three of the five returnees on Amarillo College's roster.

Former Amarillo ISD athletes Reese Dindinger of Caprock and Yuna Ng of Tascosa prepare for their first year with the team after joining Sandel's roster in the 2025 recruiting cycle. Hereford duo Jynae Fletcher and London Baker, as well as former Vega multi-sport star Jay Martinez, round out the Amarillo-area recruits in the Badgers' most recent class.

"That's the first place I look (for players). Home, Amarillo," Sandel said. "Amarillo is my home, I started at West Texas, I'm a Caprock guy. So, the first place I look is the local areas. The beauty of it is, we've got some great kids in the area, and it allows us to supplement. Texas is a great state for athletes, great state for volleyball players."

Frenship alum Olivia Whitfield and San Angelo Central product Samantha Cardona are also among Amarillo College's group of 11 incoming freshman.

Sandel, who served as Tascosa's head volleyball coach from 2006-2012, will be joined on the sidelines by assistant coach and former Hereford, then Southern Nazarene volleyball player Meagan Ellis.

Amarillo College competes in the Western Junior College Athletic Conference alongside Clarendon College, Frank Phillips College, Midland College, New Mexico Junior College, New Mexico Military Institute, Odessa College and Western Texas College.

The Badgers' regular season slate runs through Nov. 1 and will feature 12 home games, including a Sept. 12-13 tournament hosted at the FirstBank Southwest Center in Amarillo.

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Amarillo College volleyball has plenty of local star power in 2025