Olympia’s Hannah Byers is TNT’s All-Area volleyball player of the year
Whether she’s on a volleyball court or in the kitchen, Hannah Byers is always trying to figure out the recipe for success. From the moment she began playing as a third-grader, the Olympia High School senior fell in love with the game.
But she had no desire to be a one-trick pony. Instead, Byers made sure she could do anything and everything on a volleyball court, a drive that has netted her The News Tribune’s 2023 All-Area volleyball player of the year award.
Much like the ingredients she combines when baking her favorite desserts, Byers has worked to perfect the combination of skills that would get her to the final goal. When she’s baking, it’s the quintessential bite.
“I’m a cookie girl,” Byers said. “Chocolate chip. Pretty classic.”
On the court, it could be hitting or setting or even playing defense. The Olympia senior broke three school hitting records for the Bears in 2023 as the team made a run to finish third overall at the Class 4A state tournament in mid-November.
Byers may have made her bones as an outside hitter at Olympia, but she always has prided herself on the other aspects of the game, all to further the team.
“I was actually a setter more than an outside hitter in my club career,” Byers said. “And I actually set last year for us when our setter got injured. Doing both made me more versatile.”
Setting as a junior didn’t take that much away from her offensive prowess, though. In coach Christie Oldright’s 6-2 system, Byers would set while in the back row and hit for her three front-row rotations.
The numbers began to add up, and when she was done in November – her high school career concluded at the state tournament in Yakima after a 3-1 consolation final victory over Lake Stevens – Byers held the Olympia record for most kills in a career with 1,297.
That career mark broke the record set 20 years earlier – by her coach, Oldright, who had recorded 990 kills from 2001 to 2003 for the Bears. The career record added to a pair of season records achieved in 2023 by Byers.
She broke the record for total kills in a single match on a couple of occasions this fall, finally setting the mark at 35 during a state quarterfinal match win over Puyallup. And she set the new record for kills in a season at 517, erasing the mark of 445 set by Christie Colasurdo in 2011, the last time Olympia won the state title.
“She just does what she loves, and does it for the team,” Oldright said. “She’s loved by her teammates. She’s so tuned in to what it takes to be a team. She’s worked so hard. And she’s going to go up on our big record board.”
The offense wasn’t the only skill at which Byers excelled, of course. She had 52 aces and served at a 92 percent clip. Her 406 digs defensively also led the Bears in 2023. A year ago, her 205 assists as a part-timer setter led the team.
“The drive just has to be there,” Oldright said. “Where nothing is taken for granted. She is an example of that.”
Byers versatility will serve her well as she takes the next step in her volleyball career, playing beach for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. On the sand, with just a single partner as opposed to five teammates, Byers ability to do everything on a court will be emphasized.
“I really like beach in that you can do everything,” Byers said. “You have to be able to pass, set, block, hit and dig. I’m excited to see where I fit in with the team. Beach in college still is a team effort. You have to win three of the five matches to win. And I play better when everyone around me is good – it helps me jump to the next level.”