HANCOCK COUNTY — The first official practice for the 2021 high school volleyball season is less than a week away, but players and teams are already in full preparation.
Student-athletes have been training nearly year round, including players from Hancock County where multiple standouts are powering up to help their respective programs contend in both the Hoosier Heritage and Mid-Eastern Conferences this fall.
As the season grows closer (first contests to be held on Aug. 14), many questions are swirling.
What can we expect from Class 4A sectional runner-up Mt. Vernon (22-5, 5-2 HHC) with defending state champion Yorktown and New Castle representing their lone conference losses in 2020?
Can the 4A New Palestine Dragons (23-8, 2-5 HHC) make a run at their first sectional title since 2017?
How will the Greenfield-Central Cougars (20-9, 4-3 HHC) look after the graduation of several senior leaders?
Will the 2A Eastern Hancock Royals (10-19, 3-6 MEC) continue their upward trajectory and make some noise in a highly-competitive MEC?
As we ponder what’s ahead, here are some local standouts, in no particular order, who will be looked upon to once again shine this fall as we collectively await opening day.
Grace Myers, New Palestine
• With the Dragons’ top-three scorers from 2020 now gone due to graduation, incoming junior Reagan Kleiman (145 kills) and senior Jada Hausz (92 kills) are projected to be key offensive players this fall, but the defense rests with Grace Myers. Not to say, the incoming senior can’t put points on the board or initiate a rally, too. With 21 serving aces to her credit last year, Myers dished out 54 assists as a junior. Where she excels, however, is at court level. Myers logged 384 receptions in 2020 for second best on the team. She averaged 4.1 receptions per set and 12.4 per match. Her 449 digs led the Dragons.
Trinity Oertel, New Palestine
• Defense is the name of the game, and incoming New Palestine senior Trinity Oertel cracked the top-four in digs for the Dragons in 2020. As a junior, Oertel logged 178 digs with 2.1 per set and 6.4 per match. Her court agility pairs well with fellow senior teammate Grace Myers (4.8 digs per set and 14.5 per match). Oertel can also facilitate on the fly with 16 assists last season to go with 210 receptions (2.5 per set and 7.5 per match). She added 22 serving aces for fourth-best as a junior.
Cecilia Bulmahn, Mt. Vernon
• An IHSVCA All-State second-team selection in 2020, Mt. Vernon incoming senior Cecilia Bulmahn returns to the Hancock County volleyball landscape as the most decorated competitor. Bulmahn was one of two Marauders named to the All-Hoosier Heritage Conference last season and for good reason. Bulmahn ranked first on the team in kills with 433 at 4.6 per set. Her kill percentage in 2020 was 37.3 and her hitting percentage finished at .264. She had 31 serving aces with a serving percentage of 91.1 and tallied 37 total blocks. Defensively, Bulmahn had 383 digs (4.1 per set and 14.2 per match) to rank second on the team behind incoming junior Abby Herman (478 digs). Bulmahn’s 297 receptions was third best last season.
Delaney Bowser, Mt. Vernon
• Last year, the Marauders primarily relied on Cecilia Bulmahn and Claire Ertel, who graduated this past spring, for a majority of their offense. Flying somewhat under the radar, however, incoming senior Delaney Bowser proved she’s more than capable of leading a rally, too. As a junior, Bowser logged 88 kills for fourth best on the team, and her 55 serving aces in 96 sets played were tops among all Mt. Vernon starters. Her serving percentage was 91.1 in 2020, and she tallied 37 total blocks at third best. Macy Lyons, an incoming senior, had a team-best 91 total blocks. Bowser’s 368 digs give the Marauders three returnees with 300 or more (Abby Herman 478, Cecilia Bulmahn 383). Bowser also recorded 253 receptions at 2.6 per set and 9.4 per match.
Rylee Ugen, Mt. Vernon
• A key contributor in the Marauders’ 11.9 kills per set recorded in 2020, incoming senior Rylee Ugen can setup her teammates with ease in most scoring opportunities. Offensively, she had 17 kills of her own along with 28 serving aces (93.2 serving percentage) to go with her 34 total blocks. Her ground game, however, is where she was a stat sheet filler. Ugen amassed 249 digs (2.6 per set and 9.2 per match) for fifth best on the team last season. In regards to the team’s assists, Ugen was simply unmatched with 940 overall at 9.7 per set. She only committed 27 ball handling errors in 97 sets played.
Morgan Hornaday, Greenfield-Central
• Graduation hit the Greenfield-Central Cougars hard. Of the team’s 977 kills tallied in 2020, 922 of them are now gone with the departure of six seniors. Incoming senior Morgan Hornaday is projected to be the most-seasoned player on the roster in 2021 with a modest 13 kills, but she isn’t a one-dimensional player. Last season, Hornaday carved out a role from multiple angles, including leading the Cougars with 38 serving aces (98.0 serving percentage). Her 215 digs were third best on the team (2.5 per set and 7.4 per match). As a facilitator, Hornaday had a team-best 490 assists at 5.6 per set with only 17 ball handling errors in 87 sets played. The Cougars averaged 11.1 kills per set in 2020.
Lili Hunt, Eastern Hancock
• The question isn’t what can incoming Eastern Hancock senior Lili Hunt do on the volleyball court? It’s what can’t she do? A team leader in nearly every key statistical category, Hunt is the de facto driving force for the Royals and very well could be again in 2021. Hunt’s 300 kills last season ranked her first on the team at 3.0 per set at a 35.1 kill percentage. She was third in serving aces at 35, trailing only Sydni Bednarski (38) and Sydney Hayes (37). Hunt’s 32 total blocks were a team-leading tally, and she ranked second in digs at 279 behind fellow senior Megan Retherford (330). Hunt averaged 2.8 digs per set and 9.6 per match. For added measure, Hunt racked up 269 assists (2.7 per set) for second best in 2020. Hayes, an incoming junior, was first at 290.
