Two-time Gatorade Texas Volleyball Player of the Year continuing outstanding career at LSU
ROANOKE, Texas (BVM) — Hard work and commitment are two things that an athlete has to have in order to be successful. They work so hard to bring happiness to their fans and experience the joys of winning.
That’s precisely what the Byron Nelson volleyball team experienced during Paige Flickinger’s final season with the Bobcats when the two-time Gatorade Texas Volleyball Player of the Year led her program to its first-ever state championship.
“I remember walking in my freshman year, I was like, ‘I want to win a state title,’” Flickinger said. “It was something I had dreamed about since freshman and sophomore year, and I was like, how awesome would that be? Then in my junior and senior year, and having that be attainable, it was crazy, it was indescribable really.”
With 797 kills, 813 digs and 36 aces, Flickinger helped lead the Bobcats to a No. 1 national ranking and a 50-2 overall record. Flickinger was awarded the Texas Girls Coaches Association 5A-6A Volleyball Player of the Year. She also won the Gatorade Texas Volleyball Player of the Year for her second consecutive season. That hadn’t been done since her own high school coach, Brianne (Barker) Groth, did it back in 2006 and 2007.
“It’s even harder to get in the second year because you got to do something spectacular to keep it,” Groth said in an interview with the Northwest Independent School District. “I’m just really proud of her. Obviously, she’s an incredible volleyball player, but even more so, she’s an incredible person.”
Not only does Groth respect the type of person and player Flickinger has become, but Flickinger, herself, credits Groth a lot for helping her become the athlete she is today.
“Me and her really developed a special relationship,” Flickinger said. “I still talk to her till this day. She’s really knowledgeable in volleyball. And it was great for me to have that relationship with her. … It just goes to show how respected of a player she was in Texas. When she put me up for the, she really had my back and really advocated for me. People respect her so much, they listened and I’m really grateful for her.”
Just as Flickinger credits Groth for her growth as a volleyball player, she also gives a lot of credit to her family.
“It’s [volleyball] just in my blood,” Flickinger said. “My dad played, not in college or anything, but he played intramurals and kind of throughout his life. So when they [my parents] finally had a girl, he was so excited. It was honestly a bonding thing. I really fell in love with it [volleyball] because my dad was always there with me.”
Flickinger is embarking on a new journey with her high school days behind her, which has brought her to Baton Rouge.
“Honestly, they offered me [a chance] to hit,” Flickinger said. “A lot of the schools I looked at didn’t want to give me a solid chance to prove myself as a hitter. And when I came here [LSU], the difference was the coaches. They really believed in me and what I could do on the court. They didn’t guarantee anything, but they were like, ‘We’ll let you come in, we’ll let you grind it out, and if you earn the spot, you earn the spot.’ I just respected that a lot.”
In addition to that, Flickinger has also made an immediate impact on the Tigers volleyball team. With 39 kills, 67 digs (both in the team’s top three), and two double-doubles, Flickinger helped the Tigers to a 3-3 record during the fall portion of their season. Flickinger knows what to expect in the second half of the season with those six games under her belt.
“I learned so much on every point of every game,” Flickinger said. “It was mainly just the learning process of catching up to the speed of the game and then learning to hit offensively and defensively. It was just infinite things I learned. And I’m still learning even in practice.”
Along with the learning process came the realization that she has accomplished a lifelong goal.
“The first time [I stepped on the court] was at [Texas] A&M,” Flickinger said. “It was more nerve-racking before I got on the court, and when I went in, it was almost like a deep-breath moment. I was like, ‘I made it, I’m here,’ and I feel like I did a good job of not letting my nerves take over. But I feel like once I’m on the court, it’s so much easier to let that stuff go.”
Flickinger is currently at LSU preparing for the spring portion of the 2020-2021 season, and one of her goals is to help the Tigers capture the SEC title, something the team hasn’t done since 2009. But before that can happen, Flickinger is focused on continuing to be comfortable on the court and is eager to continue the winning tradition the LSU Tiger has had over the years.
“I love it here,” Flickinger said. “[But] continuing to get comfortable on the court [is a goal]. “Fran [LSU’s head volleyball coach] has recruited such great players, and I’m excited to really keep the winning culture in this program and really bring it up. Our big goal is to win [the] SEC. I can’t wait till that day happens.”
