When the Columbus Hawks home-school volleyball program dissolved two years ago, a few of the players were looking for a place to continue playing the sport.
Three of those players found a home with Indy Genesis, a Greenwood-based home-school program, last year. This season, the trio of local players helped lead Indy Genesis to a National Association of Christian Athletes championship.
“We knew some of the girls from the Indy Genesis team, and we knew the coaches, and we thought the program looked good,” senior McKiah Shearer said. “So we went and had a few practices with them, and they we all decided to play there.”
Shearer was a starting middle hitter for this year’s Indy Genesis team, while fellow Columbus resident Sarah Lorimor was the starting setter. Brown County resident Caleigh Owen also rotated in as a middle hitter.
At the NACA Tournament in Dayton, Tennessee, Indy Genesis dropped only one set in going 5-0 in pool play. That landed them in the Division II final, where they beat West Florida Baptist in five close sets.
“It was a really good year,” Lorimor said. “It was fun, and we saw a lot of success. We played a lot better as a team.”
Lorimor’s father Chris Lorimor coached the Indy Genesis JV team. His oldest daughter Hannah won a NACA Division III title five years ago as a senior at Columbus Christian.
Shearer, Lorimor and Owen all played for Indy Genesis last year, but the team enjoyed much more success this season. They finished second at the home-school state tournament, fourth in the Midwest Regional and third at the NACA regional, which Indy Genesis hosted in Indianapolis.
“I feel like last year, we had a smaller team, and that caused a lot more drama,” Shearer said. “This year, we had a lot bigger roster, and we all were a lot closer this year. We ended up just working better as a team. Also last year, we all started to get tired and sore, and all the little injuries started to affect us by the end of the year. This year, we had a lot more players, so we didn’t feel as sore and tired by the end and could still go out strong.”
Shearer, who has talked to a few college coaches about the possibility of continuing her career, made All-Tournament team at NACA. Lorimor and Owen will look to win another title next year.
“I had a lot of fun,” Owen said. “It was really great to see how well everyone did, and I think everyone was just happy for each other.”
