2024 Fall Preps Preview: Ava Durgan, Mead volleyball looks to repeat success of last year after move back up to 4A

Last season couldn’t have gone much better for Ava Durgan on the volleyball court.

Mead’s 6-foot-3 middle hitter was dominant in her junior campaign, leading to all-Greater Spokane League first-team and state 3A player of the year honors, along with helping the Panthers win their second state title in three years.

But what separates good players and teams from great ones is the ability to keep pushing to be better than before. And Durgan wants to prove she and the rest of the Panthers are great.

“I love the competitiveness and knowing there is a target on my back,” Durgan said. “I don’t feel the pressure of being the focus of other teams; instead I’ve honestly just been working even harder to beat whatever they throw at me.”

That target will only grow this season as the Panthers take the step back up to 4A following the WIAA’s classification changes this summer, but Durgan said that move hasn’t had much of an impact on her thinking.

“I’ve had people ask what we think it will be like being back up in 4A, but it’s something I haven’t even thought about,” she said. “My focus and our focus as a team is to play the six across the net from us regardless of level.”

Ninth-year coach Shawn Wilson said that he’s happy to see the Panthers back in 4A after several years – and a pair of state championships – at the 3A level.

“The 4A versus 3A thing really fluctuates in talent some years where one year 4A is definitely stronger and other years 3A is the tougher class,” Wilson said. “I think last year the 4A schools were tougher, but those schools also lost some key kids, so we will find out more throughout the season.”

Regardless of classification, the Panthers are once again set up for success. Returning from last year’s title squad along with Durgan are fellow seniors Romy Tyler and Audriana Spielman – both of whom are outside hitters. Mead in total has eight seniors on the roster, which offers key experience across the court for Wilson.

“Every team is different in how the leaders emerge and with this large of a senior group we have some more vocal girls and some more quiet leaders,” Wilson said. “But what we’re seeing so far is that all of them want to lead by example.”

Tyler, a second-team all-GSL selection last season, sees Durgan as the perfect example of that leadership style.

“Ava is probably my favorite player that I’ve played next to and she deserves where she’s at and what’s she’s earned,” Tyler said. “We’ve played together since seventh grade and I’ve loved seeing how much she has grown as a player and leader – but that all comes from the fact that she puts in the work to be that good.”

More proof of this unit’s cohesion lies in what they consider to be their strength on the court. For a team returning three front-row attackers, playing good defense gets them more excited than anything else.

“We have dominant hitters, but our setters and our defense are also clicking at a really high level right now,” Durgan said. “We have a huge advantage with our offense, but the rest of the game needs to be sound as well to succeed.

“Being in the middle I get a lot of action both on offense and defense, but for me a big block gets me more hyped than anything,” she added.

Wilson agreed that he’s seen the girls really focus on keeping every shot alive and then letting their attack finish the points.

“I think this team’s identity right now is more into the defensive side and into blocking, making sure balls don’t hit the ground – they are taking a lot of pride in that,” Wilson said. “We are super explosive offensively and that will be key for us, but if you ask them right now they’d tell you that their competitive nature really comes out on defense.”

Luckily for the Panthers, they have one of the state’s best players in both attacking and blocking in Durgan. But Wilson is quick to praise his senior leader for her understanding that she can’t succeed without also lifting up her teammates.

“Ava is an elite-level athlete, but she still understands that this is a team sport,” he said. “She knows that without the people around her, she can’t do the things she wants and is able to do. It’s really nice to have that firepower and athleticism, but she knows that it has to go through the whole team.”

Following this year, Durgan will take her talents to the University of San Diego, where she committed to last summer.

“My biggest thing in finding the right program was going to a place that really runs their middles on offense and defense, and that’s a big focal point of what San Diego does,” Durgan said. “And once I went for a visit I just fell in love with the campus, coaches and their culture.”

Before she can turn her attention to the Toreros, Durgan and the Panthers must battle through a gantlet of a schedule – which includes defending 4A champion Wenatchee and a trip to Phoenix for the Nike Tournament of Champions – in hopes of being ready for another deep run at the Yakima Valley SunDome in November.

“It doesn’t feel like we are pressured to win a state title again,” Durgan said. “Our mentality is to play as hard as we did last year, fill the holes left by graduating three starters, and get back to that level. I think this group can be even better than last year – we just have to work as hard, if not harder, than we did in the past and not back down.”