NEW PALESTINE — Eli Martin has been a trendsetter when it comes to the sport of boys volleyball both at New Palestine, as well as all of Hancock County.
Three years ago – in the team’s first season – he paved his path as the lone freshman on a roster full of upperclassmen, and this year he set another precedent by becoming the Greenfield Daily Reporter’s first Hancock County Boys Volleyball Athlete of the Year.
The first step in Martin’s path to reaching that honor began three years ago when he picked up the sport for the first time.
With New Palestine forming a team his freshman year, he joined the squad as a way to stay active in the offseason of his other sport, soccer.
“I went to a camp and had played volleyball at my house once in a while and always had a lot of fun doing that,” Martin said. “I’m always conditioned now for both sports. I’m always doing something, and they both keep me busy.”
While he had never really played the sport before, the New Palestine coaching staff knew right away that he had a bright future ahead of him.
They also knew right away that the position of libero fit him perfectly.
“He just has this ability to pass and control the ball which is huge. If we as a team don’t have the ability to control first contact, nothing works. He had a better grasp and quicker gains than anybody else in the gym at that time. We knew he had to be the libero,” New Palestine head coach Amy Schreiber-Roan said. “Some of it was his athleticism, but he came in as a freshman and just really had that ability to control the ball. He’s just taken strides forward and has maintained that starting libero position.”
As a freshman, Martin appeared in 34 sets and led the team with 173 digs and 5.1 digs per set. That mark was over 100 digs better than the next-best on the Dragons roster.
“I was just really good at passing and controlling the ball my freshman year, so it just kind of fit into this position,” Martin said. “I like how I‘m always on the court and taking big hits. Even though it’s not a flashy position, it’s a spot that helps the team out more than people realize.”
That success continued into his sophomore season and then into his junior season this past year.
He played double the sets he did as a freshman, recording a team-leading 3.7 digs per set over 78 sets played. In total, his 289 digs were 20th in the state and helped him earn Second Team All-Region honors.
“He was always super athletic, but just from being around the game more his knowledge and ability to read players and the way the ball is traveling has increased tremendously. When he can make those reads, he can be a step quicker to the ball which is super important for a libero,” Schreiber-Roan said. “He has turned into a player now that makes plays on certain attacks that he should not be playing. It should be another player’s ball, but because he makes the read and is so fast to it, he consistently controls things for our defense.”
Along with the team lead in digs, Martin led the Dragons with 483 serve receptions.
“The other thing that he does for us that is really important is that he is our primary passer in our serve receive,” Schreiber-Roan said. “We want him out there as much as possible because he can control the ball and get us into our offense.”
His growth over the last three seasons can be attributed to a variety of things, but most importantly, it’s his knowledge of the sport.
“I’ve learned a ton. When I came in freshman year, I had no clue what anything was,” Martin said. “Coach has helped me through it and has taught me everything I know. Watching the sport now, I can see all the little things that I didn’t know before playing.”
Going hand-in-hand with him learning the sport, has been his ability to communicate more while on the floor, something that is important for the libero position.
“My communication and attitude have improved the most,” Martin said. “My freshman year it was a little iffy on my communication, but over time and with more experience, I’ve gotten a lot better not just skill-wise but talking and communicating with my teammates.”
Lastly, helping mold him into the player he is today– and something the coaching staff recognized immediately – is his energy at practice, matches or whenever he is on the court.
“I call him a squirrel all the time because he’s so fast and he does not stop. Whether it’s talking or moving around, he’s always doing something,” Schreiber-Roan said. “In matches, when he has the ball and there is downtime, he’s dribbling the ball between his legs or looking to do something with the ball. He’s nonstop and that contributes to his success as libero because he always has energy and is always just zooming around the court.”
Not only has Martin contributed to the growth of the sport and set precedents at New Palestine, but with the sport becoming an IHSAA sanctioned sport, his senior season will include one more first. He will be a part of the first official IHSAA boys volleyball season.
“It’s awesome knowing that I helped contribute to that,” Martin said. “It’s great knowing that it’s going to be an actual high school sport now for everyone.”
