Hauser has won 10 consecutive sectional volleyball titles, Trinity Lutheran made it to the Class A state final last season and Columbus Christian is coming off an ICSAA state runner-up finish.
The past two days, we’ve previewed the volleyball seasons for Columbus East and Columbus North. Today, we take a look at the other seven area teams:
Hauser
The Jets went 27-8 and went undefeated in the Mid-Hoosier Conference last season, but their run ended with a heartbreaking five-set loss to Bloomfield in the regional final.
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With several key players back from that team, Hauser will look to get a little further this year.
“I think we have a legit shot, but we have a lot of work to do if we want to get to that level,” Hauser coach Jeff Case said. “But I like how we’re looking. We have a lot of good players and a good team. We’re really excited about the year.”
Senior middle hitter Hannah Johnson is a two-time Class A All-State selection. Senior setter Aunaka Wasil is entering her third year as a starter.
Senior Sophia Musillami returns on the outside, and senior Marnie Schwarzkopf moves from right side to outside hitter. Junior Andie Clark is back at libero.
Sophomore Adriana Musillami, who plays the right side and setter, saw some varsity action last season. Looking to step into the rotation this year are junior Stephanie Meek on the right side, sophomore Charlie Clark outside, sophomore Kyra Meister at defensive specialist and freshman Kenzie Bostic in the middle.
“We have a good mix this year,” Case said. “We have a really good setter and a big middle that is hitting really well. We ought to be pretty scrappy defensively. We’re working on that, trying to get that mindset in.”
Columbus Christian
After going 28-5 and finishing as Indiana Christian Schools Athletic Association state runner-up last season, the Crusaders were in danger of not being able to field a team with only four players returning.
Fortunately for Columbus Christian, it has been able to pick up two more players to give it the minimum number of six. Two more players have moved up from the middle school team to make it an eight-player roster.
“This year is definitely more of a rebuilding year for us, but I’m excited to see what the girls are going to be able to do,” Columbus Christian coach Sarah Stair said. “We’re going to make the best of it. I figure everybody is in a weird place because of COVID. I’m excited to see what these players do and how hard they work and how they can pull off a great season.”
Senior outside hitter Madison Henderson outside and senior setter and right-side hitter Hannah Stair have been varsity starters since they were in middle school. Sophomore Emily Stair also will set and and play the right side, and sophomore Kayla Jones moves from libero to the middle.
“They are just solid,” Sarah Stair said. “They’ve played together for so many years, so really being able to build around them was something we were looking to do.”
Freshman Lila Hudson, who played for the Columbus Hawks homeschool team last year, will be the other middle hitter, and senior newcomer Kinidy Morgan will be the other outside hitter. Seventh-graders Lindsey Hunnicutt in the middle and Kenna Conrad at outside and middle hitter will add depth.
Jennings County
Toby Harrell, who has been the Panthers JV coach under Blakli Hukill the past two years, takes over as head coach.
Jennings will look to improve on a 10-21 overall record and a 2-5 mark in the Hoosier Hills Conference.
“Coming from last year to this year, we’re already better,” Harrell said. “We had a lot of new talent come in, so that’s helped out. I’m looking forward to the season because I know that we’ll be tremendously better than the last two years that I’ve been here.”
Senior Shelby Wilson moves from outside to defensive specialist, senior Liz Ertel moves from setter to right-side and middle hitter and senior Alaina Young moves from defensive specialist to libero. Sophomore Megan Vogel returns at setter.
Moving into the rotation will be sophomore Nettie Meeks outside, sophomore Stella Millspaugh at defensive specialist and freshmen Charlee Barlow and Juliann Woodard in the middle and Alivia Elmore outside.
“We will be a very young team,” Harrell said. “We definitely have a lot of talent. When it comes to firepower, we’re going to be tremendously better than last year.”
Brown County
The Eagles return six varsity players from a team that went 10-11, including 1-4 in the Western Indiana Conference.
“It’s another building year,” Brown County coach Jessica Robertson said. “Pretty much everyone on my squad has one year of varsity experience.”
The returnees are senior Lauren Akles in the middle, senior Natalie Suding at defensive specialist, sophomore Londyn Koester at libero, sophomores Mary Rygiel and Milly Patrick outside and sophomore Abigail Watson in the middle. Suding and Rygiel will begin the season as setters in a 6-2 offense until junior Abigail Bowman returns from a knee injury.
Senior Abigail Angebrandt in the middle, junior Jayda Scales at libero are up from the JV. Sophomore newcomer Savannah Oden, who played golf last year, could play on the right side or middle and freshman setter Anna Stogsdill leads a 14-member freshman class.
“It’s definitely growing,” Richardson said. “We had so many players come out, we added a C team. I think we’re going to be most excited when that sophomore group becomes seniors and that freshman group gets some extra development.
Edinburgh
Jamie Turner, who was assistant under Kilah Dickey, last year, takes over as head coach. She’ll have a bigger team than the one that went 8-21 overall and 2-4 in the MHC last fall.
“We have numbers,” Turner said. “We have a JV team this year. We have some new faces, and we’re excited to get started.”
The Lancers return junior Carly Cowan outside, junior Callie Hancock on right side, junior Bethany Burton and sophomore Gracie Crawhorn in the middle and sophomore Gracie Myers in the back row. Senior middle hitter Malkia Willard in middle and junior setter Alyssa Funkhouser are playing for the first time since their freshman years.
Edinburgh also will have a trio of freshmen in setter Kyah Streeval and all-around players Jessica Walsh and Zoey Sida
“We’re in the rebuild,” Turner said. “We want to get the numbers up and work hard again with really buying into the program. You really have to buy in and work at it, and I think we have a good starter group to do that.”
South Decatur
The Cougars also have a new coach in Nikki Hartwell, who played at Jennings County and South Decatur and had been a middle school coach at both of those schools and an assistant at Kankakee Valley.
South Decatur will look to improve on a 6-23 overall record and 0-6 mark in the MHC.
“As a new coach coming into a varsity team that didn’t have a whole lot of confidence, I would say they are definitely exceeding their expectations,” Hartwell said. “I give them a task, and they’re able to jump in and do it and move onto the next one. I think we’re going to be pretty good this year, to be honest.”
Returning rotation players include senior Lana Bell and junior Brook Somers outside, senior Savannah Bushhorn and junior Loryn Pate in the middle, seniors Lily Rigby and Megan Manlief on the right side and senior Ali Jameson and sophomore Sophie Bushhorn at setter. Senior Karma Warren, a transfer from Jennings, steps in at libero.
“This team, if they believe in themselves the way that I believe in them, they’re going to be unstoppable this year,” Hartwell said. “It’s been pretty phenomenal to see them grow just in the two weeks we’ve been together.”
Trinity Lutheran
The Cougars came close to winning it all last year, but dropped a five-setter to Cowan in the Class A state final.
“It is such an inspiration once you’ve been there to want to get back there again,” Trinity coach Faith Wilder-Newland said. “The kids are really working hard. They have an idea of what teams are going to be our obstacles that we have to get around, and I think that helps a lot.”
The Cougars lost two-time The Republic Volleyball Player of the Year Hannah Sabotin from a 30-6 team, but return four senior starters in setter Bailey Reynolds, Kennedy Hoffman outside, Sydney Jaynes in the middle and Elly Carter in back row
“All four of them are very well skilled and are doing a nice job of being leaders,” Wilder-Newland said.
Junior libero Kamzi Gross is entering her third year as a starter, and junior Stella Kleffman and sophomore Bailey Tabeling outside and junior Ruthie Bingham on the right side also return. Tabeling and Bingham could play in the middle this year.
“All of those players got very solid contacts and contributed greatly to our state finals run,” Wilder-Newland said. “Our offense is maybe a little bit behind where we were last year, but our defense is farther along. If I had my choice, I’d take the passing and defense because you can always develop hitters.”
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The 2020 volleyball schedules for Hauser and Columbus Christian:
Hauser
Tuesday;at Jennings County;7:15 p.m.
Aug. 20;Jac-Cen-Del;7:15 p.m.
Aug. 22;at Henryville Invitational;9:30 a.m.
Aug. 27;Indianapolis Lutheran;7:30 p.m.
Aug. 29;at Scottsburg Tournament;9 a.m.
Sept. 8;Morristown;7:15 p.m.
Sept. 10;at Shelbyville;6:45 p.m.
Sept. 11;Waldron;6:45 p.m.
Sept. 14;at Seymour;7:15 p.m.
Sept. 15;at Brown County;7;15 p.m.
Sept. 17;South Decatur;7:15 p.m.
Sept. 19;at Lawrenceburg;9 a.m.
Sept. 21;Columbus Christian;6 p.m.
Sept. 22;at Southwestern (Shelby) 7:15 p.m.
Sept. 24;at Trinity Lutheran;7:15 p.m.
Sept. 26;Hauser Heritage Days Classic;9 a.m.
Sept. 29;at North Decatur;6:45 p.m.
Sept. 30;Greensburg;7:15 p.m.
Oct. 6;at Edinburgh;7:15 p.m.
Columbus Christian
Aug. 22;South Decatur;1 p.m.
Aug. 25;at Horizon Christian;7 p.m.
Aug. 31;at Indiana Christian Academy;6:30 p.m.
Sept. 4;Martinsville Tabernacle Christian;6 p.m.
Sept. 5;at Evansville Christian;1 p.m.
Sept. 5;at Pleasant View Christian;1 p.m.
Sept. 8;Southside Christian;7 p.m.
Sept. 10;at Crosspointe Christian;6 p.m.
Sept. 11;Dugger Union;7:30 p.m.
Sept. 12;Cannelton;2 p.m.
Sept. 14;Medora;7 p.m.
Sept. 15;at Bloomington Lighthouse;6:30 p.m.
Sept. 17;Christian Academy of Madison;7:30 p.m.
Sept. 19;at Calumet Invitational;TBA
Sept. 21;at Hauser;6 p.m.
Sept. 22;at Edinburgh;6 p.m.
Sept 26;Southern Roads Conference at TBA;TBA
Sept. 29;Indy Genesis;7:15 p.m.
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