GREENFIELD — Greenfield-Central volleyball may be entering the 2023 season with its sixth different head coach since 2018.
But a slew of talented upperclassmen should help make that transition easier.
The Cougars, who finished last season 14-17 and 1-6 in the HHC, return nearly every starter, including Hancock County player of the year Mya Grigsby.
Grigsby, now a senior, returns along with junior starters Rilee Roland, Harper Holden, and Makenna Rankins, as well as senior Finnley Greene.
“I think the team could be really good this year. We’ve got some returning players and some good seniors who are leading the team and have been my right-hand girls in accommodating me as a new coach,” head coach Candice Wyatt said. “Getting to come in and have a team that is already so experienced is amazing.”
Leading the way for the Cougars on the court will be Grigsby, a senior outside hitter coming off of her best season.
“She is just outstanding. When you see her in the gym, you can just tell that there’s a difference between her and everyone else out there,” Wyatt said. “She can jump super high, hit with great range and power, and it’s just tough for anybody to stop her.”
Grigsby was an All-Hoosier Heritage Conference player and ranked second in the HHC in hitting percentage (.354), kills (394), kills per set (4.1) and kills percentage (46.2). She was fourth in the HHC in service aces with 59 and 13th in digs with 262.
She led G-C in all of those categories.
“She’s also just got a great attitude. She’s not one of those players who thinks she’s amazing and thinks she deserves better. She’s very humble and is always asking me how she can improve and what to work on,” Wyatt said. “She’s going to be a superstar this year, and I’m really excited to see our offense revolve around her because I know it’s going to be tough for teams to stop her.”
Second on the team in most of those categories was another outside hitter for the Cougars, Roland.
She was second on the team in kills (214) and service aces (35), led the team in blocks with 58, and was third on the team with 171 digs.
Those marks earned her All-Hancock County honors along with Grigsby.
Setting up those two for kills once again will be Rankins, a returning setter, who led last year’s team with 867 assists. That mark was second in the HHC and ninth in Class 4A.
Holden, a middle hitter, and Greene, a libero, will be mainstays once again in the Cougars lineup. Holden finished behind Grigsby and Roland with 191 kills, and Greene was second to Grigsby with 229 digs.
Along with the returning starters, the team has two new players that are expected to play key varsity roles.
Freshman Alex Muegge will see varsity time at multiple spots, and Madison Sonsini, a junior transfer from Richmond, will be a key middle hitter for the Cougars.
“The best thing about Alex is that she’s so versatile. I can throw her in anywhere in the front row or back row and be confident that she is going to get the job done. “We’re going to look to get her as much varsity time as possible,” Wyatt said. “And Madison has been absolutely outstanding so far. With us graduating a middle hitter, it has been great to just slide her in there.”
A now older and more experienced team than they were a season ago, the Cougars will look to build off the end of last year, where they won five of their final six games, including a come-from-behind five-set upset victory over New Palestine in the sectional quarterfinals.
“They really, really encourage each other. Any time we get big kills or digs in practice they all go crazy and get super excited for each other, whether it’s a returning varsity player or an incoming freshman. They all just bring a lot of positive energy,” Wyatt said. “I can definitely see that they play with a lot of confidence and charisma, too, and I’m excited to see what we can do this season.”
The Cougars open up the season Saturday, August 12 at 10 a.m on the road at Waldron.
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2023 Greenfield-Central Volleyball Schedule
Date;Opponent;Time
Aug. 12;at Waldron;10 a.m.
Aug. 14;vs. Scecina;6 p.m.
Aug. 16;at Greensburg;6 p.m.
Aug. 19;at Covenant Christian tourney;TBA
Aug. 23;vs. Richmond;6 p.m.
Aug. 24;at Eastern Hancock;6 p.m.
Aug. 29;vs. Delta;6 p.m.
Aug. 31;at New Palestine;6 p.m.
Sept. 2;at Shondell Family Invitational;9 a.m.
Sept. 5;vs. Greenwood Christian;6 p.m.
Sept. 7;at New Castle;6 p.m.
Sept. 12;at Mt. Vernon;6 p.m.
Sept. 14;vs. Shelbyville;6 p.m.
Sept. 18;vs. Lawrence Central;6 p.m.
Sept. 20;at Yorktown;6 p.m.
Sept. 23;Cougar Challenge;9 a.m.
Sept. 25;vs. Muncie Central;6 p.m.
Sept. 28;at Pendleton Heights;6 p.m.
Sept. 30;vs. Fishers/Guerin;10 a.m.
Oct. 3;at Anderson;6 p.m.
Oct. 5;at Triton Central;6 p.m.
