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State finalists & record-setters: Meet Central Indiana’s top sophomore volleyball players

Published

4 months ago

November 18, 2025

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State finalists & record-setters: Meet Central Indiana’s top sophomore volleyball players

Meet Central Indiana’s top performing volleyball players from the Class of 2028

The Class of 2028 was heavily involved in a number of deep volleyball state tournament runs this fall, including a pair of state finalists.

Let’s meet the top Indy-area sophomores from the 2025 IHSAA high school volleyball season.

FIRST TEAM

Blaine Adams, Cathedral, OH-OPP

The 5-9 attacker led the Irish with 276 kills. She reached double-digit kills in a dozen matches (14 in a five-set win over Roncalli) and tacked 110 digs and 25 blocks onto her season line.

Charlee Groninger, Plainfield, S

Groninger established herself among the area’s best at her position, piling up 1,249 assists — quadruple her total from a season ago — across 117 sets for the Class 4A state runner-up Quakers. She added 98 kills, 34 aces, 38 total blocks and 244 digs.

Caitlyn Gutt, Fishers, S

The 5-10 sophomore worked in tandem with senior Ava Tester, registering 416 assists with only 16 errors on 1,205 attempts. She also picked up 146 digs, 36 aces and 17 kills. Gutt reached 20 assists in five-set decisions vs. Hamilton Heights and Center Grove, and had 19 in three other outings.

Ryelle Koomler, Franklin Central, OH

The 5-10 attacker led the sectional runner-up Flashes with 382 kills on .226 hitting. She added 222 digs, 39 aces, 11 blocks and a couple aces to her season line. Koomler’s campaign was highlighted by a pair of 22-kill performances, and she had 19 terminations in a five-set loss to Center Grove in early September.

Sophie Orlando, Brownsburg, OPP

The right-side hitter shined in her first full varsity season. 36 of her 60 total blocks were solo efforts and she hit .253 en route to her 248 kills. Orlando, who rounded out her line with 51 digs, set a career-high with 20 kills on .293 hitting in a five-set loss to Roncalli.

Maggie Sliwa, Hamilton Southeastern, S

Sliwa split time running the Royals’ offense with senior Jasmine Daniels, recording 378 assists and 94 digs in 96 sets. The 6-2 setter clocked double-digit assists in 20 matches, including 25 against both Westfield and Center Grove.

Rosanna Spearing, Roncalli, OH

One of the state champion Royals’ top attackers, Spearing finished the year with 262 kills, plus 43 aces, 255 digs, 20 total blocks and 13 assists. The 5-8 rising standout cleared double-digit kills in 12 matches, including 17 vs. Brownsburg in October.

Audrey Utterback, Plainfield, OH

A prolific attacker, the 5-9 outside cleared 1,000 career kills, totaling 606 (.280 hit%) in her second varsity season. She also served 52 aces, blocked 42 shots, racked up 349 digs (591 career) and setting a career-high with 22 assists.

Amaya Zander, Lawrence North, OH

Zander enjoyed a record-setting fall, recording 449 kills (single-season record) on .222 hitting, leaving her with 582 for her career. She had 37 terminations (.301 hit%) in a five-set loss to Hamilton Heights in August, one of five matches with 20-plus kills. Zander recorded 17 aces, 18 blocks, 89 digs and 10 assists across 107 sets.

SECOND TEAM

Karis Barnes, Lawrence Central, OH

Barnes shined on the Bears’ attack, racking up 327 kills (3.4 per set) on .230 hitting. She also set career-highs in aces (87) and digs (244), and matched her previous high with 12 kills. Barnes set her season-high with 20 kills on .224 hitting against Warren Central, one of her eight outings with 15-plus kills.

Caroline Brown, Lebanon, S

Brown recorded a career-high 893 assists in her second season running the Tigers’ offense, with only 14 errors on 2,174 attempts. That highlighted a well-rounded line by the sophomore setter, who also registered 58 aces, 145 digs, 19 blocks and 72 kills.

Alaina Darlage, Triton Central, L-DS

The sophomore libero was excellent in her first full varsity season, averaging 10.8 digs per match (336 total). She also served 56 aces and 246 points, and logged 92 assists. Darlage has 361 career digs entering her junior year.

Harper Drzakowski, Danville, L

Drzakowski accumulated 419 digs, 30 aces and 69 assists in her first full varsity season. She was charged with just 31 reception errors on 407 attempts, and set her season-high with 37 digs in a five-set loss to Hamilton Heights in early September.

Josie Hunt, Eastern Hancock, OH

The 5-7 pin scored 25 kills against Shenandoah, 23 vs. Greenfield-Central and 21 vs. Lapel. Those outings highlighted a strong sophomore campaign, wherein she racked up 375 kills, 195 digs, 51 aces and 15 blocks for the 25-win Royals.

Maddison Judge, Greenwood, MH

The 6-foot sophomore led the Woodmen with 320 kills on an impressive .384 hitting. She also blocked 81 shots, served 19 aces and dug out 61 shots. Judge set her season-high with 20 kills (.375 hit%) vs. Perry Meridian in late September, then eclipsed that mark with 22 (.553 hit%) in a four-set win over Southport in early October.

Adria Jump, Sheridan, S

The multi-sport athlete registered 599 assists to move past 1,200 for her career. She was also the sectional champions’ second-leading attacker with 126 kills on .261 hitting. Jump also recorded 95 aces, 26 blocks (15 solo) and a career-high 363 digs.

Lainey Mendenhall, Sheridan, OH-MB

Mendenhall set career-highs in kills (404), aces (46), digs (264) and assists (32), and notched 30 total blocks (18 solo). She matched her season-high in the sectional championship match vs. Lapel, accumulating 26 kills on .258 hitting (she also logged 20 digs).

Brooke Neale, Westfield, DS

The 5-6 defensive specialist averaged 8.4 digs per match, totaling 235 over 94 sets. She scored a kill for the consecutive season and exceeded her previous high for aces (44) and service points (202). Neale had 23 digs in a five-set win over HSE in the sectional semifinals.

Cecilia Prather, Danville, S

Prather totaled 820 assists over 95 sets in her first varsity season. She cleared 20 assists in all but five matches, with 40-plus in four. Prather set her season-high with 51 assists in a five-set win vs. Franklin, and rounded out her season line with 60 kills, 39 aces, 34 blocks and 251 digs.

Larkin Prosser, Mooresville, S

The second-year starter maintained her progression in year two, improving both her assists total (530) and efficiency (seven in 1,606 attempts). Prosser, who has 941 career assists, tallied 262 digs, 18 blocks, 75 aces and 87 kills across 85 sets played.

Krosley Riggs, Lapel, OH

Riggs clocked 208 kills and 304 digs in her second varsity season, leaving her with 400 kills and 567 digs for her career. She also added 72 aces (223 points), five blocks and 10 assists. Riggs had 34 digs and eight kills in the sectional championship match vs. Sheridan.

THIRD TEAM

Chloe Canada, Tri-West, OPP

Canada tallied 197 kills on .226 hitting and 36 blocks in her first varsity season (she played two sets as a freshman). She added 234 digs, two aces and seven assists. Canada recorded 21 digs at semistate vs. Jasper, and 11 kills on .333 hitting against Plainfield in September.

Myra Finnity, Greenwood Christian, MB

The 6-1 sophomore recorded 84 blocks, 35 of which were solo efforts. She reached seven blocks against Perry Meridian and Scecina, and logged five in both matches vs. 3A’s New Palestine. Finnity rounded out her line with 99 kills on .227 hitting, eight aces, 44 digs and 10 assists for the regional champions.

Evaana Galbreath, Lawrence Central, S-OPP

Galbreath accumulated 571 assists, 198 digs, 52 aces and 12 blocks over 92 sets. She had four matches with 30-plus assists, including a career-high 40 in a four-set win over Speedway in August.

Stella Hamood, Avon, L-DS

Hamood scored 466 digs across 88 sets, averaging 16.6 per match. She posted 30 aces and seven kills, as well, plus 69 assists – three more than her total from 2024. Hamood reached a season-high 31 digs in a four-set loss to Bellmont.

Allie Kizzee, Monrovia, OPP-DS

Kizzee recorded 71 aces and 167 service points across 101 sets. She had seven aces in a three-set sweep of Beech Grove, and has 84 for her career. Kizzee picked up 221 digs, as well.

Mckenna Muncy, Danville, MB

The second-year middle reset her career-high with 231 kills on .351 hitting. She also racked up 49 blocks, 26 digs and eight assists. Muncy had nine matches with 10-plus kills, led by 17 on .400 hitting vs. Terre Haute North.

Malia Norfleet, Lawrence North, MB

The 5-9 middle averaged over a block per match, totaling 47 (15 solo) over 106 sets played. She also registered 145 kills, four aces, 12 digs and three assists. Norfleet had seven blocks in a three-set loss to two-time defending Class A state champion Trinity Lutheran in August.

Lillian Pass, Lutheran, OH-OPP

Pass built upon a strong freshman campaign, recording 277 kills on .209 hitting, 55 aces, 134 digs and eight assists — all career-highs. She completed her line with 24 blocks, two off her total from a year ago.

Kenleigh Raby, Western Boone, S

Raby ran the Stars’ retooled offense at a high-level, averaging 7.4 assists over 84 sets (620 total). She also notched 192 digs, 22 aces, 26 kills and 14 blocks. Raby tallied 45 assists in a five-set win over Frankfort and 40 in a five-set loss to Cascade.

Olivia Reeves, Greenfield-Central, OH-OPP

Reeves will be the Cougars’ top returning attacker next season. She scored 279 kills, second most on the team, as a sophomore, and rounded out her line with 38 aces, 107 digs, eight blocks and eight assists.

Olivia Schiffli, Hamilton Heights, OH

Schiffli shined alongside Macie Smith on the Huskies’ attack, piling up 279 kills in 95 sets. She also recorded 173 digs, 44 aces, 16 blocks and eight assists for the regional champions, and will be a cornerstone for this program entering next season.

Genevieve Schroeder, Greenwood, OH

Schroeder picked up 149 kills, 43 aces, eight blocks and 129 digs in her first full varsity season. She had four matches with 10-plus terminations, led by 12 in a four-set win over Southport. She also tallied 11 kills on .400 hitting in a three-set loss to New Palestine.

Micah Shanklin, Lawrence North, MB

Shanklin led the Wildcats with her 49 blocks, 14 of which were solo efforts. She set her season-high with six blocks against Warren Central and had four against Trinity Lutheran. Shanklin logged seven kills in three matches, and finished the season with 114 terminations (.303 hitting).

Stella Short, Pendleton Heights, L

The second-year libero averaged 6.5 digs per match and 2.2 per set, with 206 over 95 sets. She was among the team leaders with 61 aces and logged 75 assists. Short had five aces in two matches, and cleared 10 digs on eight occasions.

Tay Walker, Greenfield-Central, OH-OPP

Walker logged 218 terminations, 15 blocks, 13 aces and 118 digs in her first varsity season. She reached double-digit kills in four matches, tallying 15 apiece against Shelbyville (.429 hitting) and Lawrence Central.

Regan Ward, Pike, OH-MB

The 6-foot attacker put together a career year with the Red Devils, notching 229 kills on .251 hitting. She also collected 21 aces, 56 total blocks (19 solo), 98 digs and 14 assists. Ward had 10-plus kills in 10 matches, led by 13 on .500 hitting in a 2-1 loss to Rising Sun. She had a season-high five blocks against Seymour and logged four in three sets vs. Zionsville.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Brynn Baker, Fishers, MB; Izzy Bigelow, Speedway, S; Jordyn Blair, Westfield, MB; Anna Cope, Covenant Christian, DS; Addison Corn, Beech Grove, MB-DS; Emmi Custer, Pendleton Heights; Brooklyn Deppe, Danville, DS-OPP; Rachel Filimoeulie, Lawrence Central, OH-DS; Reagan Futa, Cathedral, DS; Amelia Hartman, Perry Meridian, RS; DeAsia John, Pike, OH-MB; Landry LePage, Lebanon, DS; Alexa Massingill, Western Boone, OPP-OH; Madelynn Matelic, Speedway, MH-fRS; Reese Morrow, Pendleton Heights; Sydney Reed, Pike, OH; Emily Shepherd, Western Boone, OH; Ava Stone, Roncalli, MB; Molly Tucker, Danville, OH

Follow Brian Haenchen on Twitter at @Brian_Haenchen. Get IndyStar’s high school coverage sent directly to your inbox with the High School Sports newsletter.

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Retro Indy: Five years ago Covid confined March Madness to Indiana

Published

10 hours ago

March 27, 2026

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Retro Indy: Five years ago Covid confined March Madness to Indiana

Just three days before Selection Sunday in March of 2020, the NCAA announced that March Madness, like so many other events that spring, would be cancelled due to the new virus upending life. The decision marked the first time in tournament history that the final weeks of the college basketball season would not be played, squashing Atlanta’s plans to host the Final Four.

When the following year rolled around, the NCAA decided that March Madness would not succumb to the virus once more.

With a vaccine only on the horizon and hundreds of Americans still dying each day, the organization announced in November of 2020 that while the tournament would go on, it would certainly not be business as usual. All 67 games, NCAA officials said, would be held in one location. Central Indiana was the first choice as Indianapolis had been on tap to host the Final Four April 3-5.

The plan, said NCAA senior vice president of basketball Dan Gavitt in a November 2020 IndyStar article was to present “a safe, responsible and fantastic March Madness tournament unlike any other we’ve experienced.”

In January the NCAA made it official: All games would be played in and around Indianapolis in a modified version of a bubble.

Holding the tournament in one place just made sense, NCAA officials told IndyStar. Unlike in a typical year when a winning team would travel multiple times before the championship, this system would minimize travel, which could inadvertently expose players and coaches to the virus.

Two months later when the tournament kicked off on March 18, 55 of the 67 games were scheduled to be played in Indianapolis venues, such as Gainbridge (then Bankers Life) Fieldhouse, Lucas Oil Stadium, Indiana Farmers Coliseum and Butler’s Hinkle Fieldhouse. Purdue’s Mackey Arena and IU’s Assembly Hall also hosted games.

While the first Covid vaccine had arrived a few months earlier, few people outside of first responders and the most vulnerable had been immunized, so in an effort to avoid large crowds, the Indianapolis sites all capped tickets at 25% capacity. That meant only 17,500 people could attend games at the largest venue, Lucas Oil Stadium. The college arenas allowed far smaller audiences, with IU limiting attendance to 500 people.

A week before the tournament began Marion County Public Health Department officials and Mayor Joe Hogsett asked attendees to make smart public health choices, such as social distancing and obeying the face masks mandate. Referees donned masks as much as possible as did coaches and players on the bench.

The NCAA regularly tested athletes, administering 28,311 tests Covid tests during the tournament, 15 of which came back positive.

Post-mortems after the tournament asked whether the NCAA had made the right call. Two high profile deaths occurred in the aftermath of the tournament — one a University of Alabama superfan who had traveled to Indy for the games and the other a St. Elmo bartender. But proving a direct link between their deaths and the tournament would prove impossible, and some public health experts said the NCAA had done everything it could to protect athletes and fans short of canceling the event.

A study conducted by IU, Regenstrief researchers and others that appeared in August 2021 in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that while mask wearing had theoretically been compulsory, about a quarter of attendees at the games were either not wearing masks or doing so inappropriately. Still, in an IndyStar article about the study Indiana Sports Corps president Ryan Vaughn termed the event “a resounding success.”

The following year, with a vaccine widely available and far fewer daily deaths from the virus, the tournament returned to a typical schedule, concluding in New Orleans’ Ceasars Superdome. More than 69,00 fans attended the final games, according to the NCAA. Local authorities had lifted the mask requirement by this point.

“Last year was about survival. Just having championships in any way, single site, keep everybody safe and be successful,” Gavitt said in an NCAA news release in late April 2022. “I think this year was about advancing.”

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Federal legislation that Braun calls ‘crazy’ is aimed at Bears and Indiana – Indianapolis Business Journal

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22 hours ago

March 26, 2026

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Federal legislation that Braun calls ‘crazy’ is aimed at Bears and Indiana – Indianapolis Business Journal

U.S. Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Greg Casar, D-Texas, say the bill would protect taxpayers from being extorted by team owners for huge subsidies. The legislation would likely face an uphill climb in the Republican-controlled Congress.

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Record warmth followed by strong storms tonight | March 26, 2026

Published

1 day ago

March 26, 2026

Press Room

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH-TV) – Strong thunderstorms likely later this evening with all severe weather threats possible. It is going to be warm and windy with record highs today. Much cooler air works into Indiana for the end of the week.

TODAY: Partly cloudy conditions later this afternoon with warm and breezy conditions. It is going to be a beautiful and summer-like day across parts of Indiana. We will look for high temperatures to climb into the lower eighties which will set a new daily high record. The record for today is 80 set back in 1907. Winds will be gusty out of the southwest near 20 to 30 mph.

TONIGHT: A cold front approaches the state bringing a really good chance of strong to severe thunderstorms. A few thunderstorms may develop out ahead of the main line and some of those thunderstorms could contain some large hail along with a tornado risk as well. We are under a level 3 risk of strong storms out of a level 5. So there is confidence that a lot of these storms could reach severe criteria. Threats would be damaging winds and large hail. The tornado risk is low across parts of Indianapolis but it is not zero. A slightly higher risk of tornadic activity is possible in northern sections of Indiana.

Heavy rainfall could also lead to some flooding in parts of the state. Areas may see anywhere between 1 to 3 inches of rainfall.

Best timing on the thunderstorm activity will be anytime after 8:00 p.m. and lasting until Friday morning around 4.

TOMORROW: A few early morning rain showers will be possible on Friday. The main weather story is that it will be much cooler. High temperatures will climb around 49 which is below our normal high of 56. Winds switch direction out of the northeast and it will be a bit breezy at times as well. Low temperatures late Friday night into Saturday morning will drop into the upper twenties.

7 DAY EXTENDED FORECAST: A chilly start early Saturday morning but we will see lots of sunshine for the afternoon. High temperatures will climb around 52 for the afternoon.

Cloud cover returns on Sunday but it will be dry for the most part. Look for high temperatures to climb into the lower 60s.

Warmer next week with temperatures reaching the low and even middle and upper 70s by the middle part of the week. A dry start on Monday with some scattered showers possible on Tuesday and Wednesday.