News

Jul 01, 2023

The NorthWood volleyball team looks to finally reach state this fall

The NorthWood volleyball program has been knocking on the door the past several seasons in its bid for a first-ever State Finals appearance. The biggest storyline on the area prep scene on the court

The NorthWood volleyball program has been knocking on the door the past several seasons in its bid for a first-ever State Finals appearance.

The biggest storyline on the area prep scene on the court this fall may well be is this finally the year that the Panthers punch their ticket to Ball State University in November to play for the coveted title.

IHSAA football preview:NorthWood hoping trust can lead to deep 4A postseason run in 2023

Time will tell, but veteran coach Hilary Laidig's talented team is definitely the frontrunner among the top high school squads in the Tribune's area this season.

The Panthers headline our look at the top high school teams locally to watch this fall.

NorthWood returns a plethora of experience from its 28-7 team that lost to rival Bellmont 3-0 in the Class 3A North Semistate in 2022. That was the fourth year in a row that the Panthers had lost in the state tournament to Bellmont.

"The biggest concern in our program is how we mesh, how well we except our roles, and how hard our best players want to work," said NorthWood coach Laidig via email. "We have great kids who are talented we just want to help them mesh and make an impact the best they can."

Laidig knows the burning question is does this unit have what it takes to play for the big prize at season's end.

"That is always the question," said Laidig when asked about a State Finals trip in 2023. "This group of seniors is a great group of leaders who have been around to experience lots of almosts. They are high achievers and I think they are motivated to give it the best they have."

The Red Slam boast a veteran unit, led by its dynamite duo at the net of juniors Claire Payne and Sophia Barber. Payne, a 6-1 middle hitter, had 342 kills and 98 blocks as a sophomore. Barber, a 6-0 outside hitter, had 336 kills, 316 digs and 63 aces in 2022.

"This should be a good season for Claire and Sophia to break out," Laidig remarked. "As juniors they are going to have some high expectations."

The Panthers, who were Northern Lakes Conference runner-up to Warsaw in 2022 at 6-1 in league play, also boast plenty of talent with the likes of seniors Karis Bennett, Emery Porter and Hannah Chupp back in the mix. NorthWood won the program's first regional title since 2010 last season.

"We have five returning three-year starters," noted 15th year coach Laidig. "I think this helps with bringing calm on the court during chaos. Volleyball is a game of momentum and the more calm confidence you can have in a match the better."

New Prairie will once again look to be another force in Class 3A play.

The Cougars went 27-9 last year, losing 3-0 to NorthWood in a regional final match.

New Prairie lost standout hitter Haley Robinson and star setter Emma Fleck, but coach Jordan Staus continues her annual big expectations for her program.

"My expectations remain the same from season to season, Staus said. "Work hard every time you get an opportunity to be in the gym. The team is aware that everything must be earned and putting in time in the gym is the only way to accomplish what they want. Previous team’s accomplishments are not promised to them and although much of the team is young, they are hungry.

"Every year there are holes to fill when players graduate and as a coach you hope there is someone to step in and step up. Every member of the team has stepped up either with leadership, experience or helping younger teammates to understand the importance of working hard. We have young members of the varsity squad but the seniors have helped create a culture that enables them to thrive and contribute.

Every member of our team is an important contributor to the team success."

The Cougars, who went 9-3 in NIC play in 2022, will be led by senior defensive specialist Alena Naddaf. Others to watch include Emma Tulacz and Rebecca Mondientz on defense along with Randi Robakowski, Olivia Rice and Ryli Greer. The Cougars will also count on Chloe Deckard, Cameron Smith, Maddie Diedrich, Jenna Kelly and Sofia Jankowski on the outside offensively and Maggie Duszynski and Meghan Carroll in the middle.

The Kingsmen will look to return to its tradition of success this fall with a new, yet familiar, face leading the way. Kaitlyn Hickey, a former star player for the Kingsmen, is the new coach.

Penn finished 22-10 a season ago, losing to Warsaw in a sectional semifinal match. The Kingsmen were 10-1 in the Northern Indiana Conference in 2022.

Hickey, who helped Penn win Class 4A state titles in 2010 and 2011, was hired in May to replace Lisa Pawlik. Pawlik resigned in March after coaching Penn for the past five seasons. Pawlik, who also coached Penn from 1994-2010, was suspended by the school last October after a sideline incident with a Penn player. She was fully reinstated with no disciplinary action taken in December after an internal investigation. Pawlik was 871-257 in 22 total seasons at Penn.

"The whole team has been very eager to hear what a new staff has to say and are open to trying different things," said Hickey, who also starred at IUPUI. "Our coaches are extremely competitive and are going to implement that towards practices each day. Penn is still very strong, but these girls are invested and such great teammates that are going to challenge one another day in and day out. As we grow with our connections and learning how to play next to each other I believe this team will be dominant."

The trio of returning starters Shannon Rude, Delaney Roberts and Sarah Noto are expected to lead the way for the Kingsmen.

"We will continue to figure out the identity we want this program to have," remarked Hickey, who was a two-time All-State player for the Kingsmen. We sort of have a clean fresh start and get to decide who we want to be and how we want the program to run. Our coaches have tons of ideas so brainstorming and adapting throughout our practices while taking input from the players, will help get a strong vision. I think the student-athletes buy in more when they contribute to the season goals and expectations. This is something we did in college.

I do think we will be a competitive team that takes care of business and challenges every opponent we face. We have a deep bench that is strong so we have the opportunity to mix things up quite a bit if we want to or need to. We have a versatile team where many attackers can hit from different positions and passers can play multiple spots."

The Lions lost a plethora of talent from a 2022 squad that won the NIC title at 11-0 in 2022 and finished a 25-7 season with a loss to Warsaw in the Class 4A Penn Sectional.

Elkhart must replace NIC MVP Hannah Teich, along with Payton Scheultheis, Allison Freeze and Tiffany Watterson.

"Though we graduated huge contributors to both offense and defense from the 2022 team, we return a core group of varsity players who got substantial varsity experience," Elkhart coach Jacquie Rost said. "We look to defend our NIC title and expect great individual and team growth throughout the season."

Rost will look to senior middle hitter Ava Decker as a big key this fall. The Lions will also count on returnees like seniors Alia Bravo and Jariyah Scott, junior Aviri Curry and sophomore Ava Polack.