We’re proud to be a part of an ongoing partnership with Dick’s Sporting Goods, which is sponsoring our Player of the Week award. We’ll be releasing a featured vballrecruiter.com Player of the Week, sponsored by Dick’s Sporting Goods, on Tuesdays. Below is this week’s Player of the Week: Gentry Barker.

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Last week our Player of the Week featured Peyton Heatherly, a freshman setter who helped Mother McAuley to the Illinois 4A state championship. This week, our Player of the Week features Gentry Barker. She’s also a freshman who happened to play a major role in Lovejoy winning the Texas 5A state championship.

Barker – a 4-star recruit who is shifting her focus to beach-only – went from thinking should would start the season on the junior varsity roster to leading the varsity team in kills. She finished the year with 424 kills, averaging 3.3 per set. She also finished second in aces with 44 and tied for second in digs with 365. She recorded 17 kills in the state championship against Liberty Hill. It was two off of her season high of 19. Her performance this fall led her to being named the 5A state MVP.

“Well, I didn’t think I was going to make varsity because not a lot of freshmen make varsity,” Barker said. “I was invited to practice with the varsity team in the middle of the summer. Our coach pulled me in after and announced to the whole team that I was going to be on varsity. It really surprised me. My coach told me they were probably going to put me on JV and then pull me up at some point.”

It didn’t take Barker long to show what she brings to a lineup. She dropped 10 kills in a four-set victory over Guyer to open the season before Lovejoy headed to the Ann Kang Invitational in Hawaii. Lovejoy pushed eventual champion Mira Costa to three games on the final day of the tournament, with Barker pounding out 10 kills.

“I had never been to Hawaii before,” Barker said. “It was really cool going to that tournament. It was a fun tournament. It was really our first time playing as a team and we definitely didn’t play our best. It was a good warm up and I think it got us ready for the competition we were going to face for the season.”

Hoisting the state trophy and being named MVP capped an amazing four-month stretch for Barker. She was the starting outside on TAV 14 Black, which captured the USAV 14 Open gold medal in July in Chicago.

“That was my biggest reward in volleyball in my life so far,” Barker said. “I’ve been playing club for so long and had been dreaming of that. I didn’t think it was ever going to happen. I moved to Dallas to be on a better team and have a better opportunity. I was so proud of how hard we worked. It was such a cool experience.

“I want to thank my coach Josh McKinney. I was really happy I had him. He improved my skill and he really believed in me. He’s my favorite coach.”

All the recent indoor success only made Barker’s decision to shift to beach-only that much harder to make. However, she said she feels her future is on the sand and though she was sad to give up indoor, it’s something she felt she needed to do.

“Recently I have really been getting into beach and taking it a lot more seriously,” she said. “I just think I will be playing college beach volleyball instead of indoor. This summer changed my idea of everything. I want to play beach in college and doing club would be taking up so much of my time to get better on the beach.

“I thought about it for a long time. It was really hard because I love that team and I love club. I’ve played my whole life. It’s hard to give up but in the end I know I’ll end up in beach for college.”

As our featured Player of the Week sponsored by Dick’s Sporting Goods, we recently spoke with Barker about volleyball and more.

Who is a role model or someone you look up to?

Barker: Growing up I’ve always looked up to my sister (Brinkley). Playing volleyball she was my role model. She made me want to be my best. My goal was I wanted to be as good as her one day.

If you could choose to do anything for a day, what would you do and why?

Barker: I would go to Manhattan Beach in California in the summer. It’s my favorite place to go. I go in the summer to play beach volleyball there. I’ve been go there every summer since I was little.

Other than volleyball, what skill would you most like to learn and why?

Barker: I think it would be really cool to be a dancer or a gymnast. I think both would be fun. I did dance when I was little and that was fun.

Do you have any volleyball superstitions or rituals and if so what?

Barker: Yes. Whenever I go back to serve I hit the ball five times and then the last two steps I have to count to seven in my head or it won’t go over. Also, if it’s the championship game and only for the championship game, I have to put two little small braids that go into my ponytail.

Aside from basic necessities, what is one thing you could not go a day without?

Barker: That’s a hard one. Probably my Ugg flippers. I’m actually wearing them right now. They are the comfiest shoes ever.

What is one thing that instantly makes your day better or makes you smile?

Barker: It’s seeing one of my teammates at school. I love seeing Skylar Jackson at school. She is one of my best friends.

What’s one of your favorite ways to have fun?

Barker: It’s going out with my friends and going shopping and dressing up cute to go eat somewhere nice. I also love watching sunsets. They are pretty. Sometimes I go with my friends to do that.

Outside of volleyball what are you most passionate about and why?

Barker: Probably my school work. I really try to do my best in my classes. I have a passion about proving myself and not just letting myself slack off with my grades because I’m busy with volleyball.

What is one thing that may surprise people about you?

Barker: I don’t know. Nobody ever knows that I have a brother (Ridge). Only my friends know. My sister is older and my brother he’s a senior.

If you could live anywhere you wanted, where would it be and why?

Barker: Probably California because I go there every summer. It’s my favorite. I love the beach and the weather is perfect. I love California.

If you could have any super power what would it be and why?

Barker: Maybe to fly. That would be cool because I know I can’t drive yet and that way I could just fly to my friend’s house.

What’s your favorite number and why?

Barker: It’s 5 because I was 5 last year for club and 5 is a happy number. It’s like a high-five. I like the number 5.