Ava Wilkerson will become the second Hillsborough product to join the Houston Cougars volleyball team early next year. Lottie Scully, who graduated from Orange in 2021, recently surpassed 2,000 college assists playing for the Cougars. On Wednesday, Wilkerson formally signed with Houston. During her career at Orange, Wilkerson helped transform the team from a squad that was near the top of the Central Conference into a perennial champion. She finished her career with 879 kills and likely would have surpassed 1,000 if she played her full senior season. Wilkerson’s year, for the most part, ended in early September with a match at Carrboro. As a junior, she had a career-high 395 kills as the Lady Panthers won the Central Conference regular season and tournament championships. She had a career-high 32 kills in a 3-2 win at Cedar Ridge on September 25, 2024. In 2023, Wilkerson had 14 kills and a match-high eight blocks in the 3A State Championship match against Kings Mountain at Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh. Wilkerson had 13 kills and four blocks when the Lady Panthers defeated Carrboro to win the 3A Eastern Regional Championship in a five-set thriller in Hillsborough. In her junior year, Wilkerson was named to the 3A All-State and All-Region team. The daughter of Brock and Wendy Wilkerson, Ava will enroll early at the University of Houston in January.
