Ingram, Hockaday Look to Defend SPC Volleyball Title

Standout hitter back at full strength after severe knee injury

Just as her decorated high school volleyball career hit full swing, an injury forced Lauren Ingram to the sidelines.

Yet, the torn knee ligament that caused Hockaday’s star outside hitter to miss almost all of 2021 also enabled her to grow off the court and return even better for her senior year.

Her 2022 goal: helping the Daisies defend their SPC championship.

“It was a huge setback for me,” Ingram said. “I had never had a big injury like that, so I was really shocked. It taught me patience.”

The injury in January 2021 caused her to miss the entire club season and clouded her college recruitment process. It also proved a character-building process for Ingram as she attended every Hockaday practice during rehab, eager to rejoin her teammates.

She worked her way back into the lineup late in the regular season for the Daisies, first in the back row and as a serving specialist. One match before the SPC tournament, the 6-foot-1 Ingram returned to full strength in her customary place at the net.

“Lauren was really committed to getting back and helping the team,” said Hockaday head coach Andy Gass. “She’s the heart and soul of the team in terms of her personality. We can give the ball to her when we really need a kill or need a play. She makes it fun but also makes sure we work hard.”

After the championship match against Arlington Oakridge in Dallas, which gave Hockaday its first title since 2008, Ingram dominated on the club circuit and verbally committed to Duke University this summer.

With the Blue Devils, she hopes to carve a legacy like her older brother, Harrison, a former basketball star at St. Mark’s School of Texas who is now a standout at Stanford.

“I knew I always wanted to play volleyball at the next level. I’m really grateful to the coaches for the opportunity. I really connected with them,” Ingram said of Duke. “I just want to do the best that I can and play good volleyball and get better as a person and as a player.”

But first, Ingram is focused on making her fourth varsity season her best on a Hockaday team that includes junior Avery Jackson, a Stanford beach volleyball pledge.

“The goal was to win SPC. Now it’s to repeat,” Gass said. “They can leave their mark and leave a legacy.”