Palmetto native named Gatorade’s Florida Volleyball Player of the Year
Gatorade announced its Florida Volleyball Player of the Year on Tuesday.
Jordyn Byrd, of Palmetto, was announced the winner. She’s a junior at Cardinal Mooney High and committed to playing volleyball at the University of Texas.
Byrd is the first Gatorade Florida Volleyball Player of the Year selected from Mooney.
The 6-foot-5 outside hitter tallied 551 kills, 258 digs, 56 blocks and 25 service aces to lead the Cougars to the Class 3A-Region 2 quarterfinals.
“Jordyn Byrd is a freak athlete and the most dominant player in the state,” said Chad Mercado, head coach at Tampa Carrollwood Day School, in a news release. “She’s the only player we faced who we had to say, ‘we just gotta hope for the best.’ She’s a talented and exciting player.”
PrepVolleyball.com lists Byrd as the nation’s No. 22 prospect from the Class of 2023.
In its 37th year honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, Gatorade’s award “recognizes outstanding athletic excellence, high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the court,” the news release said.
A multiple sports star, who began her career at Saint Stephen’s in Bradenton, Byrd had a 3.7 grade point average and volunteered with youth sports programs locally, the news release said.
Byrd’s win means she’ll now be up for the Gatorade National Volleyball Player of the Year award that is announced later in January.
