Franklin's Rose Mahin on her bouquet of flowers
We had our preseason Super Team bring an item of personal significance. Franklin's Rose brought a bouquet of flowers, a representation of her family.
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Indianapolis Star
5 hours ago
- Indianapolis Star
VOTE: IndyStar 2025 Girls Volleyball Preseason Player of the Year poll
IndyStar will once again be recognizing the top players in Indiana with our Volleyball Athlete of the Week poll. And with that season-long staple nearing its return, we thought what better way to kick things off than with a preseason Player of the Year poll! Scroll to the bottom of the article to vote. Voting is open until noon EST Monday. To nominate a player for our Player of the Week poll, submit the individual's name, school and notable stats via email or Twitter (@Brian_Haenchen) by Sunday afternoon each week. Indiana girls volleyball preview: What to know about 2025 IHSAA season Here are our preseason Player of the Year nominees. Listed as a defensive specialist and outside hitter, the junior Dayton commit recorded 428 digs and 110 kills over 95 sets last season. Breitwieser also set career-highs with her 57 aces and 69 assists. She has 667 digs through two varsity seasons. The Miami (Ohio)-bound senior notched 1,075 assists as a sophomore, then nearly matched that total with 980 (8.4 per set) last fall. She reached that total with just 10 ball-handling errors on 2,362 attempts. Brown — who also notched 86 kills, 50 aces, 33 blocks and 191 digs — has 2,870 career assists. A senior Bellarmine commit, Carnes contributes as both a setter and a hitter, bringing 1,879 assists and 843 kills (.347 hit%) entering her senior season. She accounted for 221 kills (.405 hit%) and a career-best 669 assists in 2024, rounding out her line with 65 aces (185 career), 23 blocks and 271 digs (908 career). Comer committed to Louisville following a sophomore campaign which saw her total 103 blocks (79 solo) and reset her career-high with 293 kills on .445 hitting in the middle. She also tallied 41 aces and 124 digs over 110 sets. The Loyola Chicago-bound senior attacker furthered her development following a strong sophomore campaign, racking up 485 kills on .307 hitting. She cleared 20 kills in four matches (reached 26 twice) and rounded out her 2024 line with 39 aces, 33 blocks and 270 digs. The 2026 Butler commit is coming off her most well-balanced season to date, having logged 325 kills, 102 digs and 97 total blocks for the Bull Dogs. She has 362 blocks and 778 kills for her career. Foster, a senior attacker, hit .370 and racked up 343 kills over just 89 sets for the sectional runner-up Bison. The Western Kentucky commit posted double-digit kills in all but 13 matches, averaging 3.9 per set. She rounded out her season line with 60 aces, 33 blocks (25 solo) and 232 digs, and enters her senior season with 1,050 kills through three varsity seasons. A senior Xavier commit, Haberthy quarterbacked a state champion Royals offense that hit .303 as a team and racked up over 1,300 kills. She averaged nearly nine assists per set, totaling 937 with only nine errors in 2,041 attempts. Haberthy, who's closing in on 2,000 career assists, rounded out her season line with 96 kills, 53 aces, 46 blocks and 206 digs. Widely regarded among the state's top 2028 prospects, Haffner racked up 453 digs and 60 aces across 108 sets in her debut campaign. She was charged with just 22 errors on 471 receptions and was one of 12 players selected to Team USA's U19 roster for the Pan American Cup over the summer. The 2026 Illinois commit led the Hornets to the Class 3A state final last season, averaging 5.6 kills over 121 sets (676 total, .373 hit%). Among her top performances were a 37-kill performance vs. NorthWood (.395 hit%) and a 36-spot (.414 hit%) vs. 4A Homestead. The 6-foot Harris — who has 1,164 career kills — also logged 127 aces, 53 total blocks and 265 digs. The senior IU commit made contributions both defensively (611 digs; 1,452 for her career) and offensively (106 assists; 337 career) for last season's sectional champs. Hepler also served up 55 aces and scored 55 points, and picked up the third assist of her career. Her 33 reception errors were a career-low. The 5-11 Alabama commit scored 425 kills in her third varsity season, putting her within reach of the 1,000-kill plateau entering the fall. Imes, a versatile hitter, also recorded 47 aces, 20 total blocks, 323 digs and five assists. Lemming accumulated 547 kills on .494 hitting over 81 sets last season (6.8 per set), leaving her with 1,289 entering her final varsity season. The Butler commit, who set a season-high with 51 kills on .610 hitting in a four-set win over Rensselaer Central, also notched 55 aces (112 points), 18 blocks and 332 digs. A 6-1 opposite side hitter, Lewis was the Irish's primary attacker, totaling 204 kills (428 career), 77 total blocks (37 solo), 38 aces and 62 digs over 88 sets. The Georgetown commit had 12 kills on .556 hitting in a two-set sweep of Center Grove and six total blocks in a four-set loss to Roncalli. Miles, a 6-1 Illinois commit, dazzled as one of HSE's primary attackers, racking up 411 kills on .402 hitting with 28 blocks, 11 aces and 80 digs over 104 sets. She had 15-plus kills in five matches, including a season-high 21 on .410 hitting in the semistate final vs. FW Carroll. A Florida Atlantic commit, Morgan marked her first full varsity season with 80 total blocks (15 solo) and 135 kills on .304 hitting. She posted six blocks against Floyd Central and Avon, and cleared on five other occasions. A 6-foot Kansas State commit, Resmer missed last season due to injury. She posted 82 blocks and 257 kills (.453 hit%) as a sophomore in 2023, and has 138 blocks and 450 kills (.356 hit%) entering her senior year. The 2027 Kentucky commit improved her efficiency (hit% increased from .306 to .377) as she cleared 300 kills for a second consecutive season (340; 721 career). She served 36 aces and 134 points, and rounded out her season line with 20 solo blocks (30 total), 251 digs and 59 assists for the regional champion Knights. The 5-11 Purdue commit is ranked tops at her position by Prep Dig Indiana and is coming off a career year for the regional champion Bulldogs. Schara scored 577 kills on .322 hitting (1,480 career), 57 aces, 27 blocks and 359 digs (1,012 career). She's the centerpiece of a very talented returning nucleus for Crown Point. Schembra maintained momentum from a strong freshman campaign, totaling 1,098 assists across 122 sets for the semistate runner-up Trojans. She rounded out her season line with 81 kills, 63 aces, 68 total blocks and 326 digs, and enters her junior year with 1,874 career assists. Another future Purdue Boilermaker, the 5-10 senior reset her career-high with 517 kills on .355 hitting. She tacked on 47 aces, 43 solo blocks (50 total), 358 digs and 25 aces to her season line and enters the fall with 1,174 kills, 104 blocks and 741 digs for her career. Shondell accumulated 750 assists while running a Mavericks offense that averaged around 10 kills per set. The senior Appalachian State commit also set career-highs with her 100 kills, 53 blocks, 39 aces and 181 digs. Shondell has 1,687 career assists through two-plus varsity seasons. The West Virginia-bound Smith reached 450 kills — her second consecutive season with at least that many — on .271 hitting. She also recorded 244 digs, 36 total blocks (22 solo) and 49 aces over 87 sets. Smith has over 1,200 career kills and is closing in on 1,000 career digs. Ranked No. 1 in her class by PrepDig Indiana, the senior Louisville commit was brilliant last fall, setting career-highs across the board with 76 blocks (37 solo), 329 kills on .454 hitting, 23 aces and 53 digs. The senior West Virginia commit was charged with just 19 errors on 317 receptions and dug out a career-high 311 shots (nearly matched her total from the previous two seasons combined). She also served up 37 aces and 216 points, and put down three kills.
Indianapolis Star
8 hours ago
- Indianapolis Star
IHSAA girls volleyball preview: Central Indiana sleeper teams entering 2025 under the radar
There are a number of Central Indiana high school girls volleyball teams beyond those included in our preseason Fab 15 who are capable of challenging for a sectional title and potentially a deep state tournament run. Let's take a closer look at some of those teams — most of whom will probably appear in those area rankings later this season. The Orioles will be breaking in a new setter under the direction of a new coach next season. But coach Kyla Thomas has ample experience in her lineup, particularly on the attack, which returns kill leaders Avery Walter, Aniah Kilburn and Milyn Kirsh. The defense will likely transition leadership to an underclassman, sophomore Stella Hamood, who logged 306 digs (most among returners) and a team-leading 45 aces over 98 sets last fall. The schedule — which opens with Center Grove, Yorktown, Bellmont and Tri-West — will have this group ready for postseason play. IndyStar preseason Super Team: Get to know Central Indiana's best players Coach Jonni Parker returns a lot of talent in her second season, headlined by juniors London Evans, a Marquette-bound setter/right side, and Lila Bruszewski, a Charleston-bound outside hitter. The defense is also experienced with junior Tennie Anderson and senior Lexi Kedvesh both returning. Filling in the attack beyond Bruszewski will be key. Junior Emily Overbeck led the team in kills last season and there are a number of newcomers eager to make an impact: Freshman Caroline Far (outside) and sophomores Alaina Mclendon (middle), Sydney Clouse (outside) and Addison Kilroy (setter/right side). The Crusaders graduated just one senior and return an all-state honoree in outside hitter Kenzie Mann. That's a terrific foundation for a group that saw record turnout for tryouts (50 girls!) and has experience returning at middle hitter (Raven Russell) and setter (Kadison Oppy). Russell, a 6-3 senior, logged 109 blocks and 117 kills last season. Injuries may hamper the Tigers early on, but their overall depth, defensive prowess and talent on the block (see: 6-1 junior Lana Mays, who had 72 blocks in 2024) has them lurking as a potential party-crasher in Sectional 8. Setter Ava Tester and Ella Dragoo figure to serve as the battery on the attack, which first-year coach Kimberly Baker expects to play at a fast tempo and with more consistency. Look for newcomers Alana Kay — who's projected to start at middle blocker as a freshman — Caitlyn Gutt (opposite/setter) and Katie Brinkruff (DS) to have an impact this year, alongside senior outside Kylie Wilson. Junior outside Laila Love is recovering from a back injury. The graduation of record-setting hitter Abby Kaminski means the Flashes will have a more balanced offense this season, with middles Brenna Storz (Central Michigan commit) and Brooklyn Wake expected to take on more prominent roles. The team's talent on the outside raises expectations, as well, with returning sophomore Ryelle Koomler joined by incoming freshman Delaney Cooper. Tying together the offense: Setter Emily Williams, a rising junior whose ability to block and defend will help compensate for the loss of Kaminski. FC brings depth defensively, as well, with Katie Bailey and Kinley Huotari joined by Roncalli transfer Cicily Boarders. The Wildcats will be very inexperienced, but they have a few strong foundational pieces to build upon. Setter Kyra Joostberns picked up 743 assists (9.5 per set) and 45 aces as a sophomore, while Anna Joostberns and Addie Hammel provide depth behind senior libero Jayda Vanoskey, an IU-Columbus commit. Addie Knox, coach Nick Cox's "utility player," will occupy the outside opposite Amaya Zander, who hit .268 and picked up 133 kills as a freshman. Sophomore middles Micah Shanklin and Malia Norfleet will handle things at the net. The Saints graduated three critical seniors and lost their lone returning senior, Delaney Pass, to an ACL injury. So, yeah, there may be some early growing pains. But given time this has potential to be a dangerous group with outside hitter Lillian Pass and setters Reagan Crabtree and Shaefer Scearce ready to lead the retooled offense, and newcomer Sophia Levine poised to make her varsity debut. Coach Kathy Anderson is also high on the potential of junior outside/middle Faith King, who impressed through the first week of practice. The Marauders will be adapting the pace of their offense as they replace setter Ava Whitmore, but there is ample experience returning for this senior-driven group which returns 10 varsity players. Evansville commit Aubry Dowling anchors what should be a very solid defense, with Emersyn Llewellyn bringing additional depth. Seniors Alivia Morgan in the middle and Sierra Holverson on the outside (and DS), and transfer Da'aliyah Kemp will be key figures on the attack. Freshman Sophie Rahmany will likely step in as setter. Mt. Vernon poses the biggest threat to Yorktown in Sectional 9. Last season marked the Panthers' first sub-.500 finish since 2020. They're looking to get back to 20 wins this season and have the talent to challenge for a sectional title. They'll be strongest on offense with the core trio of Rose Strabala at setter, Maddie Follman on the outside and Maya Loy in the middle bolstered by the arrival of newcomers Sophia Reeves, Lily Orr and Kenleigh Schueller. Coach Wong Boodrasang expects his team to be stronger defensively, but it's unclear who will sport the libero jersey. A match to circle: Oct. 7 at Lawrence North, which will likely determine the MIC champion.
Indianapolis Star
20 hours ago
- Indianapolis Star
Colts Cover-2 Podcast: QB competition too close to call, Colts vs. Packers preview
IndyStar insiders Joel A. Erickson and Nate Atkins break down the rash of injuries the Colts face at the cornerback position, and a quarterback competition that still seems too close to call.
