Aquinas’ Kalin Hubbard, Calvary’s Taylor Bates are Broward Volleyball Players of the Year
St. Thomas Aquinas’ Kalin Hubbard and Calvary Christian’s Taylor Bates only played against each other once during their four years of playing high school volleyball. Calvary Christian won that match 3-1 on Sept. 30, 2019, when the two were sophomores — Bates already a full-time starter, Hubbard just getting into the mix as part of an always stacked St. Thomas Aquinas roster.
But the two have a noticeable bond from their time at the club level, playing for the Boomers Volleyball Academy club team in Pompano Beach.
Their playing careers will be connected beyond their high school days.
Hubbard and Bates, Miami Herald’s Broward County Volleyball Players of the Year, will be teammates at the collegiate level. Both are signed to play at Liberty University in Virginia.
“She’s one of my best friends,” Bates said of Hubbard, “so being able to go to college and know I have my best friend there as my roommate, it’s going to make the experience 10 times more exciting.”
Added Hubbard: “Going to college with her makes me way more comfortable with going to another state and a whole new team. Having that chemistry on the court will be a really good advantage.”
While their playing careers will continue, both ended their high school careers on remarkably high notes.
Hubbard, a 6-1 middle hitter, led St. Thomas Aquinas regulars with a .382 hitting percentage and 76 blocks while also recording 173 kills (one of three Raiders to log at least 170 this season) as the Raiders reached the Class 6A regional finals. She didn’t start playing volleyball until eighth grade, much later than most who hope to continue the sport beyond high school, and became a regular in Aquinas’ rotation by her senior year with the Broward County powerhouse.
“I haven’t been playing as long as some other girls,” Hubbard said. “High school season has made me better between all the reps, all the games.”
Bates, a 5-11 outside hitter, was an offensive machine this year as she played an integral part in Calvary Christian reaching the Class 4A state champion game, where the Eagles ultimately lost in three sets to Alachua Santa Fe. Her 435 kills were the most in Class 4A and the 11th most in the state this year. Bates also added 61 service aces, 32 blocks and 260 digs to her totals this season.
And she only picked up her production in the playoffs. In five state series games — sweeps over Gulliver Prep and Pine Crest in the first two rounds of regionals, a four-set regional final win over Cardinal Gibbons, a five-set state semifinal win over Orlando Bishop Moore and a three-set loss to Santa Fe in the 4A title game — Bates recorded 84 kills, 11 aces and 49 digs.
“It was fun,” Bates said. “I have no complaints. I had a great time. Every single game we played really well. ... Definitely a very memorable way to end my high school career.”
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