New Palestine Dragons
Coach
Kelli Whitaker
Last season
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]
Click here to purchase photos from this gallery27-7, Sectional champion (lost in regionals), 5th of 8 in HHC
Key returnees
Lydia Jones, 12; Sydney Robertson, 12; Jesi Hall, 10; Kaelyn Armstrong, 10; Rylie Sturgeon, 12; and Audrey VanderWal, 12.
Top newcomers
Isabel Martens, 11; Lauren Dodd, 11; Kristen Dodd, 12; Reina Amones, 11; and Grace Myers, 9.
Outlook
Put frankly, the Dragons goal is to win. Dragons coach Kelli Whitaker bluntly stated, “Our goal is to win a state championship. But we know we have a long way to go to get to that level.”
The Dragons are coming off back-to-back sectional championships in 2016 (3A) and 2017 (4A), and a three-peat is on their minds.
“We are going to look very different than we have the last two years,” Whitaker said. “But we’d love to win a third in a row.”
The Dragons biggest losses come with the graduation of Dennemann and Mia Long, who served as the Dragons’ biggest offensive threats.
“The loss of those two players is difficult; they were phenomenal players,” Whitaker said.
Looking to fill in those holes are senior Lydia Jones and sophomores Jesi Hall and Kaelyn Armstrong.
“Lydia is a dynamic hitter who hasn’t really got to show that off yet,” Whitaker said. “And Jesi has gotten tremendously better between seasons.”
Senior Rylie Sturgeon will look to provide leadership on the back line.
This much is certain for the Dragons: despite graduating high caliber players, those who step into their shoes inherit a program with high expectations and the knowledge that those expectations can be made into a reality.
Mt. Vernon Marauders
Coach
Eric Bulmahn
Last season
18-12, Lost in sectional semis to New Palestine, 4th of 8 in HHC
Key returnees
Victoria Bulmahn, 11; Sophie Shultz, 11; Lillie Perdue, 11; Rachel Pilkington, 11; Claire Ertel, 10; and Olivia Yeley, 10.
Top newcomers
Cecelia Bulmahn, 9.
Outlook
For the Mt. Vernon Marauders, youth remains supreme. Despite graduating six seniors, the core of the 2017 squad that finished 18-12 and split the season series with sectional champion New Pal is back. In fact, this year’s team will rely almost solely on underclassmen.
Their defeat to New Palestine in the sectional tournament has fueled them through a summer of hard work.
“Before last year we had won the sectional two years in a row,” Marauders coach Eric Bulmahn said. “We had just beaten New Pal at their place on their senior night, so to lose the next week to them was tough. But we want it back, and the girls talk about it every day in practice; it’s a big motivator for them.”
According to Bulmahn, this year’s team will rely on experience and ball movement to accomplish their goals.
“This is a bit strange for me as this is probably technically the youngest team I’ve coached,” Bulmahn said. “But it’s also the most experienced in terms of varsity experience and games played.”
According to Bulmahn, the team will need to rely on its ball movement as it lacks the traditional size needed for a potent offensive attack.
“Figuring out how to best utilize our individual talent this season is probably the biggest challenge of my coaching career,” Bulmahn said.
An intriguing newcomer to the squad is freshman Cecelia Bulmahn, who is touching 9’7” on her vertical according to her coach (and father).
Despite some acknowledged flaws, the Marauders are building something that they hope will obtain trophies.
The question is, will this be the year?
“We have a lot of outstandingly talented individual players,” Bulmahn said. “If we get them playing together, a sectional championship and more are certainly possible.”
Eastern Hancock
Coach
Cory Rainbolt
Last season
21-14, Finished as sectional runner ups, 7th of 10 in MEC
Key returnees
Jenna Smith, 12; Faithe Webster, 12; Haley Best, 12; Eriel Truitt, 12; Riley Noel, 12; and Kayla Fancher, 12.
Top newcomers
Lili Hunt, 9.
Outlook
The Eastern Hancock Royals continue the county-wide trend of returning the core of their 2017 squad. This year’s team will be led by six seniors as they look to take their season at least one step further by winning the sectional tournament after falling short in last year’s championship round.
“We’ve got a strong core coming back,” Royals coach Cory Rainbolt stated. “But it will be an interesting season due to our tough schedule.”
The Royals play in the Mid-Eastern Conference, which contains four schools from Delaware County, which traditionally churns out state champions at all levels.
“Our conference is really strong,” Rainbolt said. “If we play consistently to our ability, I think we can crack the top five. It’s fun to be in a conference like that because its fun to compete when you have to.”
The Royals lost in the sectional final to Shenandoah last year after hitting a multitude of missed serves.
That memory has fueled the Royals to focus on their serving heading into this season.
“We have certainly concentrated on our serves in practice this summer,” Rainbolt said. “In close matches, which we will certainly have again this year, you can’t afford to miss your serves and give away points.”
The Royals also begin the year with injury concerns, as Leiya Sotelo is out for the year with a shoulder issue and senior Faithe Webster is set to miss time after a surgery of her own.
“We certainly need to stay healthy as the year goes on,” Rainbolt said. “Our depth is our biggest challenge towards accomplishing our goals.”
Greenfield-Central Cougars
Coach
Travis Fuller
Last season
19-13, Lost in first round of sectionals, 7th of 8 in HHC
Key returnees
Haleigh Pribble, 12; Ava Antic, 10; Makayla Price, 10; and Molly Broome, 12.
Top newcomers
Kenley Carpenter, 10; Morgan Hornaday, 9; and Molly Schwarzkopf, 10.
Outlook
The Cougars started a youth movement last year and are looking for it to pay dividends in the 2018 season. Despite starting four freshmen, the Cougars finished with a 19-13 record and played much better than their conference record suggested.
“We actually won more sets in our conference matches last year despite winning less matches than the year before,” Cougars’ coach Travis Fuller said. “Also, our conference schedule is unbalanced, so six of those seven conference matches were on the road.”
Fuller hopes that taking such a young team on those road trips will hopefully pay off for the Cougars this season in regards to conference play, but he knows the Hoosier Heritage Conference is no cake walk, no matter where the matches are played.
“Our conference is good every year, but this year especially, outside of Denneman graduating from New Pal, the conference didn’t really lose much talent,” he said.
The Cougars hope to utilize all 13 varsity players to achieve the optimum results, but Fuller knows that will be a challenge.
“Each of those 13 kids is capable of helping us, but as coaches we owe it to the kids to find the right combo,” he said. “Each position unit we have is deep.”
With an eye on postseason tournament success, the Cougars have increased their strength of schedule, adding schools, like Cathedral, with a history of success.
“Every team in our sectional is capable of winning it,” Fuller said. “So it’s important to create a regular season schedule which instills the need to bring your best every night.”
