Indiana volleyball star skips senior year to join nation's No. 1 team: 'This kid's ready to go'

Indianapolis Star

24-04-2025

LIZTON — Suzanne Masten received two very different answers when she would ask her daughters what they wanted to do when they grew up. Elle Patterson, a Tri-West grad and sophomore outside hitter at IU Indy, wanted to be a doctor. Her younger sister Izzy Masten? She wanted to be in the Olympics.
"It's crazy that was her answer," said Suzanne, a longtime coach and former Purdue volleyball player. "And I don't think she was kidding."
Izzy was serious and not unlike most athletes of her caliber, that determination and dedication has helped establish the 5-8 junior outside hitter/defensive specialist among the state's best on both the indoor and outdoor circuits.
It's also why she's decided to forgo her senior year of high school and enroll at the University of Pittsburgh this fall.
"(Coach Dan Fishers) told me the elite players are chomping at the bit to play with them," Masten, who committed to Pitt as a libero in June. "And I was like, yeah, you're right. I want to be an elite player and the sooner the better to play with the best players in the country. … That's what I want. I want to be one of the best players in the country so why not start now?"
Masten had "tunnel vision" on her plans for her senior year. One of the top students in her class, she would graduate a semester early and enroll at Pitt next spring. But as they were wrapping up an unofficial visit the Sunday after IHSAA regionals in late October, associate head coach and recruiting coordinator Kellen Petrone "threw out" the idea of coming a year early.
Masten thought Petrone was joking, initially. While graduating at semester is a current trend among standout volleyball players, graduating an entire year early is far less common — and he hadn't broached the subject with head coach Dan Fishers yet. But Petrone assured the Mastens he was being serious, revisiting the topic with her when she took her official visit before coach Fishers reached out following the Panthers' run to the national semifinals.
"Let's have a real conversation," he told her.
Pitt went 33-2, won its sixth ACC title in eight years and reached the national semifinals as the No. 1 overall seed last season. It returns a number of key players, including AVCA National Player of the Year Olivia Babcock, a right side, and first team all-Americans Rachel Fairbanks and Torrey Stafford.
On paper, the Panthers should be as good, if not better, in 2025. And Fishers believes Masten can be a key contributor.
"The most impressive thing with Dan is how much he believes in Izzy," Suzanne said. "Let's get her in and build the program."
"That was a big thing that propelled me to make my decision," her daughter continued. "He was like, 'I believe in you and I think you can do this. You're there physically. … And I think you could come in and help us.'"
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Masten was given a few days over Christmas break to think things over and thought the decision was made for her when Pitt added Emery Dupes, a redshirt senior libero from Florida State, via the transfer portal. She was the first All-ACC freshman libero in program history (2021) and gave Pitt three liberos/defensive specialists on its roster with returners Dillyn Griffin, a junior, and Mallorie Meyer, a freshman, both of whom appeared in at least 30 matches (80-plus sets).
But the Pitt coaching staff still wanted Masten to come a year early.
"Everyone's going to be better than me and I'll have to push myself every day. That's the only way I'm gonna grow, the only way I'm going to get better," Masten said, repeating a mantra her older sister instilled upon her: "I have to get comfortable being uncomfortable."
"I couldn't pass up this opportunity," Masten later added. "To go to Pitt and train with them and compete with them — I feel like I've already accomplished a lot in high school. There's not much more for me other than winning a state championship."
She's not wrong.
Masten, who aspires to play volleyball professionally, finished her three-year preps career with 1,276 kills on .286 hitting, 1,018 digs, 257 aces, 88 blocks and 118 assists. She led the Bruins to two Class 3A state semifinals, including this past season when she set career-highs in kills (557), hit% (.325), aces (142), blocks (42) and assists (49).
Masten is "crazy talented," Tri-West coach Alexis Padgett said, praising her unstoppable drive and ability to impact a match in a variety of ways. "She's confident in everything she does, which is what I love about her."
Padgett recalled seeing Masten for the first time at a Circle City camp, watching the relatively short 9-year-old jump serve the "heavy ball" deeper than the 14-year-olds next to her. "That kid's going to be something," she recalled thinking to herself.
"Even from that age she was super gritty," Padgett continued. "I remember watching her pursue this one ball way off the court and I was like, there's no way she's going to get there. She got there, got back up, got right back into the play and got a kill. She's always been hungry like that. … She did great things at Tri-West and she'll do the same at Pitt."
Asked if any of it feels real yet, Masten said it's been slowly sinking in she's a senior now. She's been apartment hunting in Pittsburgh, has picked up her cap and gown, and is wrapping up the final few weeks of high school classes.
In 17 weeks — probably around six to eight after she arrives on campus — Masten will make her collegiate debut in front of over 15,000 fans as Pitt opens the season vs. Nebraska as part of the AVCA First Serve Showcase.
"Izzy is the first in the gym and the last one out after practice," Suzanne said, estimating her daughter passed 500 balls before leaving practice Tuesday. "This kid's ready to go."