FORTVILLE — She can set. She can hit. She can block. She can dig.
She’s the coach on the floor.
She can do it all.
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She is Mt. Vernon senior setter Victoria Bulmahn, the Daily Reporter Hancock County Volleyball Player of the Year.
She leaves Mt. Vernon as its all-time leader in assists with 2,371, but she’s done so much more for the Marauders, who had one of the program’s best seasons ever in 2019.
Bulmahn wrapped up a stellar prep career in a loss in the sectional championship match to eventual state champion New Castle. In her four years at Mt. Vernon, the volleyball team had a combined record of 96-34.
Mt. Vernon finished 27-5 and No. 5 in the final state Z-ratings (a computerized rankings system for volleyball teams). Two of the five losses were to New Castle. Another came to state runner-up Hamilton Southeastern. There was also a loss to Yorktown, which was last year’s state champ and ranked No. 2 most of the 2019 season. The other loss was to Class 2A state runner-up Wapahani.
Through it all, there was no doubt the leader of this impressive group of Marauders was the 5-foot-10 setter, who will join her older sister, Jaclyn, at Valparaiso University next season.
“She has a really high volleyball IQ,” coach and father, Eric Bulmahn said. “She has a good understanding of the game and she took over the coaching on the court.
“Her teammates trust her. She supports everyone on the team.”
Yes; she leads, too.
“I try to do the best thing for my team in the moment,” Victoria Bulmahn said. “I play for those around me and try to do the best for the team to win. I don’t have selfish motivation.
“My team is so supportive. There are so many personalities and we really meshed well together. I’m proud of what we did this season.”
Bulmahn led all setters in the state in blocks with 69. In fact, as a junior, she set from the middle position and led the Hoosier Heritage Conference in blocks.
As a freshman, Victoria Bulmahn wasn’t able to unseat two veterans at the setter position, so she worked on her hitting and became a starter at right-side hitter.
Adding to her all-around game, she averaged 3.5 digs per set. Along with her school-record assist numbers, she finished her career with 1,086 digs, 788 kills, 260 blocks and 121 service aces.
Coach Bulmahn added that his daughter is what baseball people would call “a five-tool player.”
She can do it all, but her main position and future is in setting.
Her setting helped the lead to a remarkable team hitting percentage of .273.
Her knowledge of the game and experience of playing multiple positions has helped her be a better setter.
“When I played (as a hitter) it made me realize how difficult it is to hit when you set a bad ball,” Victoria Bulmahn said. “I realized how tough it is to be a hitter and it made me want to do my job as a setter even better.”
The senior setter helped lead the Marauders to two 11-match winning streaks. They opened the season with 11 wins, a school-record start, and finished the season with 11 straight wins before losing to New Castle in the sectional finale.
In the final stretch of wins, coach Bulmahn saw a distinct change in the team’s play.
It all started after the loss to Wapahani. There was a 3-0 win over a strong Fishers team and a pair of 3-0 sweeps in a Saturday event over state-ranked Angola and Class 3A state runner-up Bellmont.
“(Victoria) and the team showed what they were made of during that last 11-game winning streak,” coach Bulmahn said. “That weekend (at Bellmont) she and the team were at another wavelength. They were all playing at another level.”
For Victoria, it comes down to her love for the game. She is being coached by her father and mother, Monica, who is an assistant coach for the team. She played with Jaclyn when her older sister was a senior at Mt. Vernon and she was a freshman. The last two seasons she has played with younger sister, Cecilia Bulmahn.
“Volleyball is such a major part of my life. It always has been,” Victoria Bulmahn said. “I have always been excited for each practice, each game. I love it.”
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To see who joins Mt. Vernon’s Victoria Bulmahn on the 2019 all-county volleyball team, jump inside to Page BX.
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