IHSAA 1A Preview: #10 Bloomfield

Kyp Harasymowycz June 7, 2021 @ 07:28 AM

We talk volleyball 24-7-365 around here, and neither discipline (HS or club) gets a day off. We’re constantly talking about one or the other, or in the case of the ladies below, both. Here are three returnees for the Cardinals hoping to do more than win their sectional in the fall. ’22, [player_tooltip player_id="118193" first="Gracie" last="Lowry"], 5-10 OH, Tier Ten The great majority of athletes at small schools such as Bloomfield play multiple sports. It stands to reason that at least two of those sports, at least on the female side, are volleyball and basketball. An orange-ball stud in her own right, Gracie is THE leading volleyball attacker for the Cardinals, and looks to capitalize on solid high school and club seasons. Her 4 kps and .333 hitting last fall led the way in both categories, and looks to be the only attacker returning from a varsity roster that graduated six. Her athleticism and jumping ability had her hit both from the front and the back this club season, and she can take a few swings in the middle in a pinch. Her defense and passing lead me to believe, though, that she’s a pin attacker at the next level. ’23, Delaney Richardson, 5-10 MB I do not have a club team associated with Delaney, probably because she’s too busy being awesome in basketball. Something that stuck out to me, though, is her ability to play multiple positions in multiple sports. Another thing that stuck out was her improvement as the season went on. She finished her sophomore stint with a career-high nine kills in a five-set loss in the regional to Indianapolis Lutheran. Her basketball athleticism carries over nicely to volleyball, and I hope to see more improvement when the fall comes around. ’23, Brianna Bucher, 5-7 DS, Tier Ten The top returning defender for the Cardinals comes in an athletic and taller-than-average DS package. Used as a three rotation DS in the fall, and playing in every set on varsity, Brianna looks to wear the libero jersey. She’s a smooth, middle-back defender, and her footwork is exceptional for her class and the area she’s from. She’d be a steal for anyone needing a reliable passer in the fall of ’23.