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Yorktown attempts to block Wapahani’s Haidan Gates kill during the third set. Yorktown won the game 3-0.
The season began with both teams dropping down a class – Wapahani to Class 2A, Yorktown to 3A. It began with each head coach well aware of the talent and depth at their disposal. It began full of optimism.
Most of all, the season began with a potential for greatness.
As Wapahani (26-11) faces Speedway (27-9) in the Class 2A state title game Saturday and Yorktown (38-1) battles Providence (36-3) in the Class 3A title match, let’s look back at the preseason prognosis for each, and how it all came together.
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Wapahani celebrates a point against Wes-Del during their sectional game at Ball Gymnasium Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2015.
‘The sky is the limit’
The reason Wapahani was so encouraged at the beginning of the fall had a lot to do with the way the Raiders challenged 4A teams all summer. They made it to the championship match of a summer tournament and lost to Fort Wayne Carroll 25-19, 25-22 – the same Chargers team that is 34-3 this season and facing Cathedral in the Class 4A state title game.
“Right now, the sky is the limit,” Wapahani coach Jared Richardson said before a preseason practice. “You have to understand that going back to 2A and with (defending 2A champion) Providence moving up, the competition could be a little bit lighter. With what we’ve done in the preseason, there’s no way we shouldn’t be good. Right now, it’s just setting that expectation, setting that goal and getting the kids to buy in.”
Richardson noted a lot of things, like the leadership of senior libero Hannah Smith and the leader-in-waiting, sophomore setter Lexi Spence; the blossoming all-around game of sophomore star Skyler Van Note; the improved hitting of junior middle hitter Chase Curry; and the immediate impact freshman Estella Davis would make.
And a lot of those observations have manifested throughout the season. But to get through a stretch without Van Note and lining up the hardest schedule in 2A, according to IndianaPrepVolleyball.com, it’s taken more than that. Senior Haidan Gates has been a reliable server; sophomore Annie Schuck has contributed in the front row and senior Kerri Myers in the back row; and freshmen Havyn Gates and Sarah Orne proved they were ready for varsity.
Richardson has changed lineups, littered the court with underclassmen, but the team has pushed through it all thanks to its foundation.
“The chemistry is awesome,” Smith said before that same preseason practice. “It’s honestly the most fun with the girls I’ve had on a team in a long time. It’s just that we all like each other, we all mesh together well on the court. I’m sure you can see, even just in drills, we all feed off each other so well.”
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Yorktown defeated Delta at Delta High School Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015.
What height deficiency?
Though it was ranked No. 1 in the 3A preseason poll, Yorktown was cautiously optimistic. The Tigers had plenty of experience back, but no height. Kendall Murr and Olivia Reed were the tallest at 5-foot-7 and head coach Stephanie Bloom put them in the middle (for comparison’s sake, Wapahani has four players 5-10 or taller). Murr actually played in the back row during the club season.
“Compared to year’s past,” senior Kate Avila said during the preseason, “we’re definitely smaller, so we’re putting more of an emphasis on our defensive play.”
And the Tigers have done just that, winning their first 22 matches before losing to Central in a best-of-three, then ripping off 16 straight victories to reach this point.
Freshman Kenzie Knuckles has stepped up as the go-to player, but the contributions have come from everywhere – Murr and Reed in the middle; Rhyen Neal and Darian Jackson on the outside; Jade York, Bella Rosenthall and Kylie Murr in the back row; Mimi Arrington at setter; and Avila, pretty much everywhere.
Bloom warned her team over and over in the preseason: If they don’t bring their best on a given night, they’ll get beat. Reading her comments now, it’s not hard to see why an undersized group has been so successful.
“I just don’t want them to get comfortable,” Bloom said. “And we have a lot of room to grow. I think the other thing is, the longer I coach the more I’m able to see the personality and the makeup of a team. What I know about this group is they’re going to be at their best when they’re flat-out getting after it. That doesn’t mean it’s always going to look good, but if they can be scrappy and play hard, I’ll put them up against anybody. If they don’t, it’s 50-50, and they need to understand that.
“So I think it’s important that our team understands our strengths and weaknesses so that they can work to get better. If you don’t know, how do you get better at that? How do you improve?”
She left that question open-ended, but 38 wins later, her team has answered it.
Contact sports features writer Ryan O’Gara at (765) 213-5829. Follow him on Twitter @RyanOGaraTSP.