CULVER CITY, Calif. – Head coach Travis Hudson's incoming rookie class continues to turn heads as Payton Frederick was named to PrepVolleyball.com's Defensive Dandy list as a first team selection in the Gym Dandy category.
PrepVolleyball.com's 2018 "Gym Dandies," the nation's top full-time defensive players, both high school and club. The list is presented in a dozen "teams" of 13, followed by about 125 more in the Honorable Mention category.
Set to be the first second-generation WKU Volleyball player in program history, Frederick joins the Lady Toppers from down the road in Louisville, Ky. A graduate of Assumption High School, the libero was part of Assumption's state championship squads in both 2015 and 2017 while also helping the squad achieve district champion status from 2015-17 and regional champion status in 2015 and 2017. Frederick is one of two newcomers that landed on the AVCA Under Armour High School All-American list and was also tabbed an All-District athlete in 2016.
Payton is the daughter of George and Cindy Frederick and has two older siblings, Ryan and Logan. Her mother played collegiate volleyball at WKU from 1985-87 under Charlie Daniels.
Upon signing Frederick last November, Coach Hudson shared, "Payton is one of the absolute biggest winners that I've ever watched play this game. She is a tremendously skilled individual at the libero position, and she's maybe the most determined competitor I can ever remember seeing at that stage. She is a gym rat – a kid that refuses to leave the gym until she's doing things at a championship level. I'm really excited about signing her because all of the intangibles you look for in a player, she's off the charts with."
"We have had a long history of tremendous defensive players that have come from Assumption and Payton certainly fits that mold," Hudson continued. "They're tough, competitive kids and they're winners; she certainly will continue that tradition in her time here on The Hill."
Frederick's honor comes just a couple weeks after her incoming freshman class was named to PrepVolleyball.com's Highest Honorable Mention list. Joining Frederick on The Hill this fall are fellow newcomers Ashley Hood, Katie Isenbarger and Lauren Matthews.
How to Follow the Lady Toppers: For complete information on WKU Volleyball, follow the team on Twitter at @WKUVolleyball and head coach Travis Hudson at @TravisHudsonWKU.
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