FLOYD CENTRALS GIRLS’ VOLLEYBALL TEAM ACES THE 2023 SEASON

Story by McKenna Pruit and Kenny Ward.

Photo by Landen Fuller.

The Floyd Central girls’ volleyball team finished out their season as 6-0 Conference champions, following a 21-10 varsity record, and a sectional championship for the third year in a row. With over thirty games played, some moments stand out more than others. 

“My favorite moment was celebrating after beating the previous Ohio state champions, Ursuline Academy. It was a great feeling for everyone. We worked so hard and everyone played together,” said senior Jenna Heidbreder.

Given their record this season, it is evident that the team continues to show strong collaboration on the court. The team knows that working together, they can win, even if a small error might occur.

 “When we make a mistake, we all come into a huddle and take a big breath together. We all try to calm each other down,” said junior Lynlee Braun.

After completing the “three-peat”, players are excited to continue on through the state tournament. They plan to use the win as motivation to make a run through regionals, semi-state, and state.

“Winning sectional pushes us through regionals because of the hard work we have put in. We are ready to play next weekend and sectionals was a warm up round for regionals. We know the competition is going to be harder and we are prepared to work hard to win,” said Heidbreder. 

To establish the best possible atmosphere for the team, the team does bonding activities outside of school. 

“My favorite memory from this season was when Coach took us to Taco Bell to have a taco-eating competition, but we couldn’t use our hands. It was hilarious watching everyone trying to beat each other,” said senior Ella Davidson. 

The FC girls’ volleyball team also keeps a tight bond by supporting and involving everyone on the court. Whether they are a freshman, a JV player, or a varsity player, everyone cheers for everyone on this team. 

“The varsity team’s win against North Oldham was my favorite memory with the team this year because everyone was involved in the game by cheering super loud and the energy being high,” said freshman Riley Roberts. 

The team is also compiled with many underclassmen. This proposes an entirely new dynamic, while still allowing the upperclassmen to keep the team’s success going for years to come.

“I think the season has been different because we are a very young team. We have a lot of inexperienced players and we are working to get them ready for the postseason,” said Heidbreder. 

The preparation proved effective, as the FC girls volleyball team won against both Bedford North Lawrence and Seymour with a score of 3-0 at sectionals.

“We won sectionals last year but we didn’t get very far after. This year we are really trying to push deep into the state tournament,” said sophomore Kylie Schindler. 

This gives the upperclassmen a newfound leadership position. They have found ways to successfully help the underclassmen learn while also doing what is best for the team as a whole. 

“I try to be more of a friend than a dictator and help them when they need it. I always make sure that they know I’m there if they need anything,” said Braun.

Players not only look to help teammates during practices and games, but they look to improve themselves, whether it be during the season or during the off-season.

Some players focus on honing in on their skills during the season using determination, practice, and a gritty mindset.

“I personally look to improve my swing so I can nail the ball down and score for my team. Not to mention, it’s fun. I also aim to keep a positive mindset throughout the whole season, knowing that I am able to grow and improve as a player no matter what,” said sophomore Presley Fuller.

Other players look to continue playing and never lose their competitive edge by participating on club teams separate from FC.

“I play club at a place called Kiva. They usually compete from around January to June. It really does help improve my ability to play. I don’t think I’d be where I am today without Kiva,” said junior Nora Gibson.

Everyone on the team plays a key part in the game. The setter, libero, outside hitters, middle blocker, and opposite hitter all work together to make the team function and be successful.

The starting libero this year is Davidson. A leader on the team, Davidson knows how important working hard at her position is to keeping the team successful.

“I became a libero because of my hard work and dedication finally paying off. Being libero means I have a very strong role on the team and I have to work hard consistently to be a leader all while keeping a positive attitude,” said Davidson.

The FC girls volleyball team plans to cap off their amazing season with a run in the state tournament. They play Center Grove on October 21 at 1 pm, in the first round of regionals. The game will be hosted at Bloomington North.

VOLLEYBALL TO COMPETE IN SEMI-STATE THIS WEEKEND

Story written by Lizzie Didat & Allyson Duckworth.

Photo taken by Ciara Watkins.

It has been over a decade since the FC girls’ volleyball team has won semi-state. This year they will travel to Columbus East to hopefully bring home another win for FC. 

The team has been on a roll this season, beating several top ranked schools. They beat their rival, New Albany 3 sets to 1, along with also beating top ranked Center Grove 3-0.

During their match against Center Grove, a new school record was set. Senior Caroline Hilbrich set the 1000 digs and 1000 kills record. 

“I feel great. It was awesome because it felt like all the hard work that I put in over the summer and all through these years have paid off and that I have done something that no one else has done before so it was a great feeling and great accomplishment for myself,” said senior Hilbrich.

Later that day, the Highlanders faced off against Castle for the regional final. They were able to pull out the win, 3 sets to 1.

Along with Hilbrich’s record breaking performance, the team kept a record of 30-6 throughout the season. With a win streak of 19, the Lady Highlanders hope to keep that streak alive this weekend against Yorktown. 

“I think it will be a really good, close game because Yorktowns really good, but we’re also playing really good right now so I think it will be a good game. I think we should come out on top,” said Hilbrich. Yorktown is currently ranked second in the state, with Floyd Central ranked sixth. It’s certain to be a hard fought match tomorrow at Columbus East at 5:30.

“All the days in summer conditioning and all the days we spent pushing ourselves at practice have paid off,” said senior Kylie Minnis, “We are finally working together as a team.” 

FC girls’ volleyball defeats Providence 3-2

Photos by Brock Kennedy.

Volleyball team prepares for second half of their season

The girls’ volleyball team cheers after winning the first set against Providence by a score of 25-18 on Wednesday, Sept. 15. Photo by Brock Kennedy.

Story by Zoe Nowling.

Junior Caroline Hilbrich spikes the ball over the net as teammates and coach Bart Powell cheer during a practice.

The girls’ volleyball team has a lot to be excited about as this season kicks off well, as they want to live up to the expectations set for them. They come to the middle of their season 12-9 and 3-1 in conference play. 

“This year we are finally capable of winning sectionals. We have a chance at state this year — all we have to do is play our best every game and we will get there,” said senior Riley Chumbley. 

The coaches have high expectations and so do the players for this season. They hope that success will be following them as they get further into the season and closer to sectionals and the tough competition.

Specifically, Hilbrich said that the team believes their work ethic will push them past sectionals and on to regionals.

FCVB is focused on winning matches and continuing to get the hard work in that they need to be conference champs and have a shot at a very deep state tournament run; to accomplish this, they must, as their coach says, “beat the game.”

“You have to score 25 points and you want to do that as efficiently as you can, I don’t like scoring points on other teams’ errors, I like scoring points on our successes,” said coach Bart Powell.  

As this group goes into games that are not as important they are focused on playing their game and improving with each play they make on the court.

“Going into games that aren’t as important as we know, like if teams not as good as us, we work on things we need to work on like running plays and doing stuff that we haven’t perfected yet so that we can be a better team for the games that do matter,” said Hilbrich. 

For this group, a positive mentality is another aspect of how they carry themselves but also play on the court and carry that energy into everything they do as a team.

“Our mentality, I would say we have a really good mentality right now, just keep working hard and you can’t earn anything if you don’t work hard for it, so keep working hard and then we will see a good outcome for it,” said Hilbrich. 

Looking ahead is important. This season’s sectional is what is in the back of their mind, so they expect to have improved and hustled to get to where they want to be before that game both play and team-wise.

“I expect us to be in our prime. We are a very good team and can pass and hit the ball extremely well. Before sectionals I expect us to have our heads screwed on right and go into sectionals very confident,” said Chumbley.  

The friendships and the competitiveness between each other on the team have helped this program and will continue to do so as they get further into the season and have higher-stakes games on their hands.

“It is improved a lot like this program, it makes it so much easier to be on the court with people you want to be on the court with, be with people you like to play with and have fun with,” said Hilbrich. 

This process is why this team is continuing to improve this team and make more of a mark with each passing year. This process is driving the success this program has had in the past few years with many sectional appearances and conference wins.

“We have to have good connections with each other and also with our coaches because our coaches are also very important for the team, so if we have good connections with our coaches and teammates it will be a great season,” said Hilbrich. 

Fitness both mentally and physically, on and off the court is important for success this season, and makes the difficult parts of the season easier to get through, and makes the athletes stronger individually and collectively.

“We do a lot of conditioning stuff; we did a lot during the summer, we did lots of running and stuff that can mentally put you down, but you have to push yourself through it cause it’s physically hard, but also mentally hard, so you have got to push through it; then it gets us mentally ready for the season,” said Hilbrich. 

Floyd volleyball has been a program on the rise the last few years and has had some great teams and this year’s group is no different. They bring a hard work ethic to the competition they play in and that is a part of the program’s rise.

“We are a lot of fun to watch, we never give up, we work hard, we never let a ball drop without effort, we are very talkative and even the people in the stands are fun to cheer with and fun to watch, so it’s a fun game to watch,” said Hilbrich. 

This program’s history inspires this group every time they take the court in a Floyd jersey, semi-state appearances, sectionals, and state appearances are something to look up for these ladies as they compete this season.

“We have a good history as a program like we have made it semi-state and state, so we know that we have a lot to look up to, and I think it motivates us to work hard and to live up to those expectations,” said Hilbrich. 

This has led to another turning point not only skillset-wise but plays and practice-wise for this team. When the games, tournaments, and competition increasingly improves, they need to as well and that is a big part of this team’s operation on the court. The players are aware that this change needs to happen so they are making it now.

“We have experienced some big wins, but we’ve also gone through some very tough losses. We are working hard to make changes and soon you should see an FCVB team who is very good,”said junior Lauren Boehnlein.

The team is getting used to the competition they haven’t seen before or haven’t played in a while. These teams are other strong competitive teams that can match FCVB and show the team what is going to be expected of them to reach their high expectations.

“We used to play manual and then we didn’t play them for ten years then we got them back on the schedule, We play North Oldham at the end of the season and we haven’t played them as well,” said Powell. 

This season is a turning point in this team’s skill set and how they play on the court. This potential has been seen by the players and coaches and those involved in the program. They are planning to show that this trend of improvement will not end with this squad.

“I believe that the turning point skill set wise is now. We went on a five-game losing streak to some of the best teams and we competed. I think we got tired of losing so we started being smarter with our skills,” said Chumbley.

FCVB wants to continue to push past obstacles on its way to sectionals and beyond. The coaches and players have emphasized practice the way you want to play, and for them, that means bringing that competitiveness against each other at practice.

“In practice, we work on being super competitive and vocally active. Players have to show up every day to practice to work hard and compete to make sure they earn a spot in the next game,” said  Boehnlein. ”No spot on the court is ever guaranteed, especially this year with all the talent. Because of all the competitiveness in practice, this makes us even more competitive during games. It makes us go out on the court with a competitive mindset.”

Tough competition has shown this team not only what they are capable of, but it has also shown them how important it is to improve collectively and individually on a team that has high expectations for themselves.

“Playing good competition comes with tough losses sometimes. However, good competition and tough losses also come with lots of chances for us to learn and grow as a team,” said Boehnlein. “Competition has made us want to work harder and be more competitive with other teams. It has taught us to never get comfortable and that we have to work hard to get the result we want.”

The girls take on a big conference championship matchup tonight that is sure to be a competitive and hard-fought matchup for the championship of the HHC (Hoosier Hills conference). This program  has a lot of expectations riding on this game.

“It will be a very physical game, physical in volleyball is a fast hard paced big swing match that’s the kind of match I see happening,” said Powell.

As they prepare for the second half of their season their work ethic is key.

 

 

 

Fall sports wrap up unprecedented seasons

The girls’ volleyball team huddles together after scoring off a rally against Madison at the last home game of the season on Oct. 8. Photo by Brock Kennedy.

Story by Brock Kennedy.

Athletes all over FC hang up their jerseys for the last time this season. Seniors will never wear those jerseys again, while younger athletes look forward to playing in the next season, assuming the pandemic allows for it. Throughout the uncertainty of the entire fall sports season, teams have had to adapt to and overcome adversity, as well as challenges surrounding practices. 

“Getting used to games while going through this pandemic definitely took a while,” said senior volleyball player Courtney Combs. “We couldn’t do our usual things like team dinners, [shaking] hands with the other team, or really even celebrate with each other. We had to worry about wearing masks while playing which was not ideal, but I think the team eventually understood what was at stake if we did not follow the school guidelines.” 

Along with the setback of the COVID-19 pandemic, injuries limited many teams throughout their seasons. Senior Riley Casey felt that the boys’ soccer team experienced this.

“I feel like our biggest setback of the season was losing [senior] Jeevan [Sivamohan] due to his injury. As our best defender, we had to adapt to not playing with him anymore. I feel as though as a team we adapted very well however, putting younger players in for his position at center back,” said Casey. 

The soccer team were not the only ones who had to deal with injuries. Senior Gabe Cora, who is a four-year varsity tennis player, experienced this piece of bad luck on a personal level.

”My main setback was cramping. I cramped in two different matches that I was in a position to win,” said Cora.

When the teams came closer to tournament time, they all had a slightly different outlook on things. Combs came into the season optimistic, even with the challenges of a new and relatively inexperienced team consisting of eight underclassmen and eight upperclassmen. 

“I knew the beginning of the season was going to be a challenge because we were pretty much a brand new team playing with girls from all grades, but we had plenty of talent and girls who wanted to work hard,” said Combs. 

The girls’ cross country team was even more optimistic, already preparing for state after their domination at semi-state.

“I personally had a very slow start to the season, but my time has finally begun to drop,” said senior Sydney Baxter. “As we got closer to state, girls were continuously getting PRs [personal records] which means we are improving every week. It’s all that you can ask for.”

The girls’ cross country team dominated sectionals, regionals, semi-state, and when it came to state they recorded a top seven finish. Earlier on in their sectional they even received a perfect score with all top five places being FC runners. The boys’ cross country team did equally as well, winning sectionals, regionals, and placing second in semi-state.

There is a reason for the boys’ cross country team’s recent success. According to senior Hunter Griffin, “The team just piled on hard weeks of training while preparing for the semi-state meet. We would do 10-plus mile runs and super hard workouts. We trained like we always have: with passion.” This training saw them through to a top-20 finish at state.

The girls’ and boys’ soccer teams both had their ups and downs this year, but for the most part, both teams feel as though at least one portion of their season was highly successful. 

The boys’ soccer team went on to have an 11-4-1 record during the regular season, securing four major wins against a top Bloomington South team, an undefeated Jeffersonville team at the time, number one in Class 1A Providence, as well as handing New Albany their first loss ever at their new soccer stadium. To add to that, they also managed to keep nine of those 16 games scoreless for the other teams, despite multiple defensive injuries.

“I think that beating rivals Providence, New Albany, and then Jeffersonville during the regular season all while not conceding a single goal to them during the regular season was really awesome. That was a very big accomplishment for the team,” said Casey. 

The girls’ soccer team was expected by many skeptics to have a less than considerable season, having lost multiple players including two key players, Murray State commit Audrey Brumfield and Indiana State commit Katie Yankey, both 2020 FC graduates. Despite the skepticism, soccer coach Lewis Stevens came into this season slightly more positive than others. 

“I was cautiously optimistic, since we had lost a big group of starters from the previous senior class and then lost two more due to offseason injuries. We still had some key players but there was a lot of inexperience as well,” said Stevens.

Heading into the tournament, the girls’ team came in with a record of six wins and eight losses, which was nothing too impressive compared to last year’s 13-game-win season. However, against the odds and having the toughest route to become sectional champions, the girls team defeated Seymour, Jeffersonville, and then New Albany in the final to claim their fifth sectional title in a row.

The girls’ volleyball team finished their season with a record of 21-13. This included big wins against number four in the state class 3A Silver Creek, who at the time was undefeated, and number one in class 1A Trinity Lutheran. 

The girls’ team, who was mainly led in stats by sophomore Caroline Hilbrich, senior Anna Hilbrich, and senior Kayden Holcomb, grew in big ways as the season went on.

“We came a long way from the beginning of our season. We grew mentally tougher and started making improvements that lead to big changes in our play as we gained more experience,” said Anna.

Despite having a young team, girls’ volleyball managed to come out with a winning record as well as a 3-0 tournament win over rival Jeffersonville. The future looks bright for the girls’ volleyball team. 

The girls’ golf team took home many good finishes when it came to their tournaments, the most significant ones being their second place finish in the Fuzzy Zoeller Invitational, as well as two first-place finishes in the Sunnyside Classic and the Hoosier Hills Conference Sectional Tournament. The team was led by freshman Trinity Bramer, senior Zoe Hoehn, and state finalist junior Sophie Cook. 

Throughout the season, Cook made many good memories but she could not pick out just one.

“My favorite memories were made at all of our weekend tournaments. We all had so much fun with the team and became so close,” she said, who added that the run to state was especially memorable. 

“Making it to state,” said Cook. “It had always been a goal of mine from the beginning and I am proud of myself for finally making it there. The support I received there was fantastic.” 

The boys’ tennis team, led by Cora, added to the success of the other FC teams, coming away with big season wins, upsetting Bloomington South, downing Avon 3-2, and sweeping rival New Albany 5-0. In addition, the Highlanders dominated the Hoosier Hills Conference, making it four straight HHC wins in four years. 

Cora spoke positively about the team, saying that “our team improved a lot leading up to sectionals. Everyone worked hard in practice to prepare.”

Football season finished up as one of the last fall sports to be playing at FC, but it came to an abrupt end in sectionals, being surprised by Jeffersonville, whom FC had twice beaten in the regular season with a combined point difference of 63. 

The football team, led mainly by seniors Tristan Polk, Wenkers Wright, and Zenuae Michalski, an Ohio State commit, finished their regular season with a 7-2 record, securing every single possible victory in the HHC before tournament time. In their regular season, they only took two losses which were to power schools Columbus East and Elder out of Cincinnati, Ohio. Every one of their victories came with a margin of 28 points or greater, including a 56-19 win against New Albany at New Albany, as well as a 42-0 home win over Providence. 

“We improved week by week, it was beautiful, watching our new plays work and our defense perfect a new scheme,” said senior Colin Cummins. 

Throughout all of the seasonal difficulties and despite the COVID-19 pandemic, injuries, and cancellations, FC fall sports made the 2020 season one to remember yet again. Winter teams, it is time to shine.