Winona volleyball searching for more wins in 2025

Published 10:55 am Wednesday, August 6, 2025

Winona was one of the top volleyball teams in East Texas in 2017, going 32-7 and advancing three rounds deep in the playoffs.

The Ladycats went 11-1 in district that year.

Since that highly successful season, it’s been bleak for the Winona volleyball program. The Ladycats won four district matches in 2018 and one in 2019, but have gone winless in district play the past five seasons.

Winona was 3-15 in 2018, 3-31 in 2019, 0-25 in 2020, 4-31 in 2021 and 4-25 in 2022, went winless in 2023 and went 5-24 overall and 0-12 in district last season.

Paiton Mitchell, who previously was an assistant coach at Chapel Hill, enters her second season as the head coach at Winona.

“I couldn’t ask for a more determined and hard-working group of girls,” Mitchell said. “I’m expecting a lot more wins on our record. We want to see teamwork and dedication and showing up to practice and putting in all of the work you can.”

Mitchell was joined by senior setter Isabella Posada, junior left-side hitter/utility Laila Davidson and junior libero Karyn Gordon at a fall sports media day at the CHRISTUS Orthopedics & Sports Medicine Institute on July 31 to talk about the upcoming season.

“We hope to see a lot of improvement and a really good season this year,” Posada said.

“I expect improvement and do better than we did last year,” Davidson said. “Communication is key.”

“I’m expecting a lot more wins and becoming a team,” Gordon said. “We have a lot of new girls coming up, so we just have to bond together.”

Winona competes in District 15-3A with Edgewood, Eustace, Grand Saline, Malakoff, Quitman and Mineola.

Winona will open the season Aug. 12 at Yantis.