MUNCIE — Sydney Schoen didn’t get the state championship she wanted, but she did come away with a nice consolation prize.
The Hauser senior won the IHSAA Mental Attitude Award for Class A volleyball. The award comes with a $1,000 donation to the school of the recipient.
“It’s just such an honor to be nominated and given this award,” Schoen said. “We’ve all worked hard, and I’ve worked hard this whole entire season. It’s just a great feeling.”
Schoen led the Jets in kills, digs and aces this season. She led Hauser to the Class A state finals, where it fell to Lafayette Central Catholic in three sets on Saturday.
A regional track qualifier in the long jump as a freshman, Schoen has played softball the past two springs. Off the court, she ranks first in her class academically, is a member of the school’s student council and national honor society and is a Bartholomew County finalist for the Lilly Endowment Scholarship.
More family hardware
Schoen wasn’t the only member of her family to come away with an award over the weekend.
Her mother Becky, an assistant coach with the Jets, was selected Class A Assistant Coach of Year at the state finals banquet on Friday night.
“It’s a great honor,” she said. “A lot of great coaches I’m sure are well deserving, and it’s great to be here.”
Senior ties record
Hauser senior Madie Sherman tied at Class A three-set state finals record with two solo blocks on Saturday. She led the Jets with four total blocks and 10 kills.
Lafayette Catholic’s Sami Royer broke the Class A three-set state finals record with 38 assists. The Knights set team records with 48 kills, 45 assists and eight blocks.
Managing greatness
Leah Joyce hasn’t played in a state championship game, but she’s been a manager for two.
The sophomore was a manager for the Hauser softball team as an eighth-grader when Hauser won the state title in 2015. Now, she is a manager for volleyball.
Joyce runs cross-country and plays basketball and softball for the Jets. Her sister, Shelby Fugate, is on the volleyball team.
“It’s really awesome because I don’t play this sport, but I like to help out with it,” Joyce said. “So I get to interact with everything, and I get to be a part of the team. It was nice being there for softball, and it’s just a new experience because everything we’re doing now is different.”
Dressed for a cause
The Hauser student section dressed in pink Saturday for the first time this year.
The students did it in honor of Tessa Mayer, who has cancer. Mayer is the wife of Hauser dean of students J.P. Mayer and the aunt of freshman volleyball player Sophia Musillami.
“We got here, and it was such a really big thing, we wanted to really make sure we could support her and support the girls at the same time,” Jordan Johnson said.
A quick recovery
Hauser athletics director Ron Hounshell had knee replacement surgery less than two weeks ago, but that was not about to keep him from watching the Jets play for the state title.
In fact, Hounshell was at Columbus East last weekend, just five days after the surgery.
“I feel like somebody that cut line at Kings Island,” Hounshell said. “This is my second year, and a lot of athletics administrators never get to enjoy this. This is a great bunch of girls, a great community. I’m a very blessed man.”
Other winners
Andrean, New Castle and Avon captured the Class 2A, 3A and 4A state titles Saturday.
Andrean beat Christian Academy of Indiana 25-20, 25-18, 26-24. New Castle downed Brebeuf Jesuit 25-11, 25-20, 25-15. Avon topped Crown Point 25-17, 25-18, 25-18.
