3A Preview: #13-16

<p>Our Indiana high school preview continues with class 3A, numbers 13-16. We will mention each of the top 16 teams in the state according to IndianaPrepVolleyball.com, a website run by a fellow referee of mine, Zach McCrite. If you’re at all interested in high school volleyball around the state, it will be worth it to you to check it out. Within this article, I’ll also mention the MVR, or Most Valuable Returnee, for each team coming into the fall of 2020.</p> <p><strong>#16: Heritage, 25-5</strong></p> <p>OK, OK. I get it. Muncie Burris (top 5 in 3A) is in your sectional. That doesn’t mean Heritage doesn’t belong in my rankings. Twenty-five wins is not a fluke, and three of your five losses are to top-5 teams in 3A. The other two are to 4A teams, one of which is a sectional champ. That being said, one could argue that the Patriots could play a tougher schedule; their SOS is ranked at #110, roughly the middle of the pack in toughness in 3A. With a senior-led squad last season, they could have scheduled tougher to prepare for the Burris’ of the volleyball world.</p> <p><strong>MVR: [player_tooltip player_id="92611" first="Allison" last="Richman"], ’22, 5-11, S, Prep Dig #102</strong></p> <p>Nearly 700 kills, 500 digs and 100 blocks walked out of the gym due to graduation when the 2019 season ended. What returns is a bunch of youth and opportunity. Allison, a Team Pineapple product, continues to be the Patriots’ starting setter and is also #1 in aces on the squad. I say opportunity for a lot of these kids for one reason---not one player from the class of 2021 recorded any stat of any kind during the fall of 2019. The starting squad in 2020 could be together for two full high school seasons, giving Heritage the experience it so desperately needs.</p> <p><strong>#15: Mount Vernon (Posey), 20-9</strong></p> <p>On the other end of the toughness spectrum is Mount Vernon (Posey). Their record and SOS (#54!) is light years ahead of Heritage, and it’s not like they have THAT many more teams in Evansville that are that much better. MV chooses to travel up to Indy regularly to play the tougher 3A and 4A programs that will make them better, a trait this author notices immediately. That four-set upset loss to Heritage Hills in the sectional, after beating them in the regular season, is what stings the most, and I expect that match to be circled on the Wildcats’ calendar once it becomes available.</p> <p><strong>MVR: [player_tooltip player_id="101835" first="Brooke" last="Jackson"], ’21, 5-11, OH, Miami (OH) commit</strong></p> <p>There are a couple of kids that make a difference for this team, but without a senior to lead the way in 2019, Brooke was the physical leader, at the very least. Over four kills per set, nearly an ace per set and over three digs per set, this is a six-rotation, do-everything pin attacker that is much needed for MV’s success. I’ll mention another player, however, that might make the difference. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="101834" first="Libby" last="Steinhart"] (’21, 5-7, DS) </strong>is also a product of Evansville United, but is tasked with being the other OH on MV. She finished the 2019 season #2 in kills, #2 in digs and #1 in aces. This senior-heavy squad for 2020 looks to make one last push for this huge graduating class. </p> <p><strong>#14: Brebeuf Jesuit, 21-9</strong></p> <p>Running into the buzzsaw that was Brownstown Central on their way to their first state championship is not what Brebeuf had in mind for their 2019 season. But Braves fans shouldn’t worry---that team was so young, only one senior <strong>(Abbey Richman, DS, Wofford signee)</strong> of any consequence graduates. What they have coming back is athleticism, experience and a ton of club talent. This should be a fun 2020 season for this group.</p> <p><strong>MVR (tie): Madeline Siegel (’22, 5-11, OH, Prep Dig #49) and [player_tooltip player_id="85920" first="Naija" last="Gadis"] (’23, 5-8, S, Prep Dig #19)</strong></p> <p>I can’t pick between these two. The clear physical leader or the most athletic setter in her class are both worthy, and neither can exist on this list without the other. Brebeuf will only go as far as these two can take them. I’m hoping the supporting cast can be more helpful than they were against Brownstown Central last fall.</p> <p><strong>#13: New Prairie, 29-8</strong></p> <p>We go north again to the New Prairie Cougars to find a program that has annual aspirations for state championship glory. Losing in the semi state to 3A top-ten Bellmont is nothing to be disappointed in, other than the obvious loss part. With only one win against the top 64 in the state in all classes in 2019, it might be difficult for the Cougars to gain that experience to hoist that big trophy in November. Hopefully, this squad can use their experience earned last fall to translate into going over one more hurdle.</p> <p><strong>MVR: [player_tooltip player_id="85693" first="Elise" last="Swistek"] (’21, 5-9, OH, Valparaiso commit)</strong></p> <p>As Elise goes, so go the Cougars. Four and a half kills per set, hitting north of .300 and scooping almost five digs per set is a massive load to bear, so I’m looking at another six-rotation pin attacker, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="101836" first="Haley" last="Robinson"] (’23, 5-10, OH), </strong>to help shoulder the load in 2020. Haley already played up a year on Dunes’ top 16s team this past spring, and is fully capable of adding more to the offensive fray to help NP get to Ball State in November. She might have to; Elise and Haley accounted for 32 of the team’s 40 kills in the state semifinal loss to Bellmont last October.</p>