Hannah Sabotin started playing volleyball in sixth grade and quickly took a liking to the sport.
“I loved hitting the ball,” Sabotin said. “Hitting and blocking were and still are my favorite things to do. It’s just an amazing feeling to hit the ball over the net and for it to be a kill.”
The Trinity Lutheran junior was able to experience that feeling more than 400 times this season. The Columbus resident led the Cougars to a 28-10 record, a sectional title and a regional runner-up finish.
For her efforts, Sabotin is this year’s The Republic Volleyball Player of the Year.
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“We grew a lot this season as a team,” Sabotin said. “We had a really young bench, so our sophomores and freshmen really had to step up. Our communication got better as the season went along, and that helped us beat better opponents and get to the regional championship.”
Sabotin led the Cougars with 410 kills and was second on the team with 75 blocks and third with 250 digs in earning Class A first-team All-State and Junior All-Star honors.
The 6-foot middle hitter called this year her best year all-around.
“I had a really good setter (Bailey Reynolds) and a really good back row that helped me do my job,” Sabotin said. “My coach (Faith Wilder-Newland) is really good. She helped us in practice get our skills better, and I felt like I grew over the season tremendously.”
Sabotin was a three-time club volleyball All-American while playing for Wilder-Newland and her husband Dave Newland at East Columbus Volleyball Club. Wilder-Newland took over the Trinity program this season.
Wilder-Newland said that in addition to being the one the Cougars went to when they needed a big side-out, Sabotin gave the Cougars a lot of stability in the back row and one of their leading defenders.
“She had some pretty fantastic matches where she clearly dominated, but the big thing also about her is that she’s mentally tough, she works hard in practice and she works hard in the weight room,” Wilder-Newland said. “It’s not just her performance on the court, but her emotional leadership. She never got too high or too low. She stayed focused on the task at hand.”
Sabotin, who was home-schooled through eighth grade, picked up basketball as a freshman at Trinity and currently is playing that sport for the Cougars. She also competes in track and field in the spring.
“It’s been a lot of fun,” Sabotin said. “I’ve made a lot of friends. It’s fun playing a sport with different people and getting to meet people from different schools and making bonds.”
Sabotin is intent on playing volleyball in college. She eventually wants to be an elementary teacher.
Next year, Sabotin will look to lead the Cougars to a deep tournament run. They lost to eventual Class A state champion Barr-Reeve in this year’s regional final, and the Vikings will move up to 2A next year.
“That’s my goal — to get past regional next year,” Sabotin said. “We will definitely have a better shot.”
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The Republic All-Area Volleyball team:
Hannah Sabotin, Trinity Lutheran: The junior led the Cougars with 410 kills and had 75 blocks, 250 digs and 33 aces.
Abby Schult, Trinity Lutheran: The senior led the Cougars with 81 blocks and had 256 kills.
Bailey Reynolds, Trinity Lutheran: The sophomore led the Cougars with 867 assists and 68 aces had 61 kills, 27 blocks and 196 digs.
Hannah Johnson, Hauser: The sophomore led the Jets with 339 kills and 59 blocks and had 54 digs and 53 aces.
Shelby Fugate, Hauser: The junior led the Jets with 61 aces and had 173 kills, 13 blocks and 301 digs.
Kylie Lock, Hauser: The junior recorded 217 kills, 23 assists, 10 blocks, 315 digs and 40 aces.
Allison Mack, Columbus East: The junior led the Olympians with 258 kills and had 12 blocks, 293 digs and 16 aces.
Rilee Jessee, Columbus East: The junior recorded 153 kills, 33 blocks and 15 digs.
Mady Foster, Columbus East: The junior led the Olympians with 711 assists and had 25 kills, 194 digs and 25 aces.
Maddy Sebahar, Columbus North: The senior led the Bull Dogs with 529 digs and had 43 assists and 16 aces.
Agustina Fainguersch, Columbus North: The senior recorded 159 kills, 35 blocks, 267 digs and 24 aces.
Lily Meyercord, Columbus North: The senior led the Bull Dogs with 502 assists and 33 aces and had 56 kills, 35 blocks and 285 digs.
Baelyn Koester, Brown County: The senior led the Eagles with 358 digs and had 22 assists and 31 aces.
Hanah Bertram, Jennings County: The junior led the Panthers with 464 digs and had 13 kills, 78 assists and 32 aces.
Honorable mention
Brown County: Mekenzie Dunnuck, Chloe Lee, Shea Keller. Columbus Christian: Madison Henderson, Mayah Schundelmier, Hannah Stair. Columbus East: CJ Clausen, Regann Jessee, Keeleigh Kikendall. Columbus North: Gabby Genth, Lauryn James, Emma Tynan. Edinburgh: Paige Burton, Emily Chappelow. Hauser: Melanie Taylor, Aunaka Wasil. Jennings County: Mary Leahigh, Karlee Madinger. South Decatur: Karah Biddinger, Sam Goodfellow. Trinity Lutheran: Savannah Harweger, Sydney Jaynes.
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