IHSAA 1A Preview: #8 Covington

<p>Continuing our high school preview in the Hoosier State, we chat a bit about the Covington Lady Trojans (Women of Troy?). Tons of upside with this program, yet Big Rona had the final say in Covington’s season. Here are some returners that will make an impact. Aside from the graduation of their #1 attacker, Covington’s team remains fully intact, and the younger kids even got a little varsity experience in the post-season, which was unfortunately forced upon them. No matter; this squad looks to reload in the fall.</p> <p><strong>’22, [player_tooltip player_id="85865" first="Amber" last="Cruser"], 5-11 RS</strong></p> <p>A physical as well as emotional leader, Amber was top three in three different categories (kills, aces and blocks) last fall. I had the opportunity to watch them beat up on Crawfordsville (3A!) in their last match of the regular season, and Amber was the clear all-around talent that every team needs. She’ll look to avenge their sectional final loss to Trader’s Point Christian.</p> <p><strong>’22, [player_tooltip player_id="102533" first="Holly" last="Linville"], 5-9 MB</strong></p> <p>Yes, you read that right. Holly’s 5-9, but jumps well and uses her athleticism to her advantage. Miss Linville is top three in FOUR categories (kills, aces, blocks and hitting percentage), and is a regular in every stat sheet for every team she’s ever been on. I like athletes that can play multiple positions, and I see Holly as one of those hybrids that can do anything a coach needs.</p> <p><strong>’22, Karsyn Engle, 5-6 S</strong></p> <p>When your setter is averaging almost ten assists per set AND is top three in digs, you have yet another hybrid athlete. Karsyn’s tennis background also allow her to have athletic and smart footwork, making volleyball seem slow by comparison. She projects to be a three-rotation setter at the next level for any school that will pick her up, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see her run a 5-1 again in the fall for the Lady Trojans.</p> <p><strong>’23, Lauren Vale, 5-9 OH</strong></p> <p>Already having a solid club background as a member of the 18 Crossfire roster at COA, Lauren was thrust into the spotlight when the above three players all had to quarantine just a few days before the sectional. No problem; Miss Vale pounded 10 kills in the sectional final and gained some valuable experience on varsity in the playoffs. I look to her as a positive---to know that you have a volleyball-smart kid coming up the ranks, with varsity experience, makes you better in the long run. Her attack touch is 9-6, and can only go up from there.</p> <p><strong>’24, Emma Holycross, S</strong></p> <p>In all honesty, I didn’t expect to talk about Emma until at LEAST this coming fall, hence why she has no height listed. I haven’t seen her play, but I will say this; Emma was the JV setter all season, and became the varsity setter, as a freshman, just before the postseason. Her only two varsity matches were a surprise, for sure, and she ran the show to the tune of nearly 70 assists in her two matches, without preparation of any kind. Most kids would wilt under the pressure, but Miss Holycross had no problem earning a double-double (32 assists, 16 digs) in Covington’s last match of the season. If those numbers don’t tell the story of her abilities, they certainly tell of her character. Looks like the cupboard isn’t bare after all, and I look forward to more exceptional volleyball from the Lady Trojans.</p>