By RICHIE HALL
MUNCIE – Of all the strategies that Hamilton Southeastern had coming into the Class 4A state volleyball championship, the most important one was this: Believe.
The Royals believed they could compete and win against New Castle, the No. 1-ranked team in the nation, never mind the state. Southeastern pushed the Trojans for the entire match before falling in four sets, 23-25, 25-15, 25-23, 25-18 Saturday night in the state championship match at Ball State University’s Worthen Arena .
“The kids truly believed and I’m grateful for that,” said Royals coach Jason Young. “They were not going to back down. They were going to go head-to-head with them, no matter who it is. And I’m grateful and proud of them for that.”
Southeastern established the tone in the first set, which began with Abby Weber hitting a kill. The set was extremely tight, with the largest lead three points. The Royals were up 12-9, then 13-10.
The Trojans came back to lead 20-18, but Southeastern scored four straight points to take a 22-20 advantage. Grace Hunter hit a kill, and Delany Garner was successful on a block. The Royals took the set when Maddie Cole put down a kill.
“We were determined to run some slides and get our middles active,” said Young. “We just were in system an awful lot.”
New Castle quickly took the lead in the second set, eventually going up 15-6. Southeastern went on a five-point run to cut that advantage to 15-11, with Garner hitting a kill and making another block. The Royals were still within 18-13 late in the set, but New Castle finished by winning seven of the last nine points. The Trojans’ 6-foot-2 middle hitter Laila Smith got the last two points of the set on a kill and a net tip.
In the third set, HSE led 6-2, with Hunter putting down a couple of kills during that time. New Castle fought back to lead 10-9 before Weber’s kill tied the match again, then a Garner kill and Olivia Phillips tip put the Royals ahead 12-10.
Southeastern led for most of the set, going up 23-21 late. But the Trojans won four straight points to take the set. Melani Shaffmaster’s, New Castle’s 6-foot-3 setter, made a successful block to gave the Trojans a 2-1 lead in sets.
The Royals led 7-4 early in the fourth set, with Garner, Phillips and Weber all making kills. But the Trojans went on a long run, winning 13 of 17 points to take a 17-11 lead. Southeastern fought to the end, but New Castle was able to hold a five- to seven-point advantage for most of the set. The Trojans’ Bailey Cox served an ace on match point to seal the title.
“My kids played with great heart. We worked hard all season, and I’m just hurting for them,” said Young. “Fantastic night of volleyball, to take that first set.”
Weber hit 13 kills for the Royals, with Hunter putting down 10. Emily Weber handed out 20 assists, with Phillips dishing out 15. On defense, Carly Mills had a fine game with 21 digs, while Abby Weber collected 11 digs and Hunter had 10. Garner and Cole both made three blocks.
New Castle’s Smith and Mabrey Shaffmaster both hit 20 kills, while Melani Shaffmaster put down 13 and Nicole Wilkinson had 12.
Southeastern’s Lillian Leiner won the Mental Attitude Award at the conclusion of the match. Leiner is a two-year captain and three-year varsity letter winner in volleyball. She also plays softball and will earn a third letter in that sport later this year. Lillian is the daughter of Ken and Sherri Leiner and plans to attend Northern Kentucky University to study Biology.
“She’s a special kid,” said Young. “She’s the glue. I can’t think of a more deserving kid. Just proud of her. We had a lot of candidates. Lillian is just a really special, special kid.”
The Royals finished their season 29-5.
SOUTHEASTERN STATS
Kills: Abby Weber 13, Grace Hunter 10, Delaney Garner 8, Maddie Cole 8, Olivia Phillips 7, Emily Weber 6.
Assists: E. Weber 20, Phillips 15, Carly Mills 7, Kyla Berg 3, A. Weber 2, Lillian Leiner 2, Hunter 1.
Aces: Mills 1.
Digs: Mills 21, A. Weber 11, Hunter 10, Leiner 9, Berg 6, Jordan Englemann 2, Phillips 2, Cole 2, E. Weber 2, Garner 1.
Block assists: Garner 3, Cole 3, Hunter 2, Phillips 2, E. Weber 2, A. Weber 1.
NEW CASTLE STATS
Kills: Laila Smith 20, Mabrey Shaffmaster 20, Melani Shaffmaster 13, Nicole Wilkinson 12, Bailey Cox 3, Adeline Bunner 1.
Assists: Me. Shaffmaster 47, Zoe Conway 5, Ma. Shaffmaster 4, Bunner 2, Cox 2, Smith 1.
Aces: Cox 2, Ma. Shaffmaster 1.
Digs: Cox 19, Ma. Shaffmaster 14, Conway 13, Me. Shaffmaster 12, Bunner 7, Smith 2, Samantha Ward 2.
Solo blocks: Me. Shaffmaster 1.
Block assists: Bunner 2, Smith 2.
Stats provided by the IHSAA
The Hamilton Southeastern volleyball team finished as runner-up to New Castle in the Class 4A state volleyball finals, which took place Saturday at Ball State University’s Worthen Arena. The Royals pushed the Trojans to four sets before falling 23-25, 25-15, 25-23, 25-18. (Kirk Green)
Hamilton Southeastern’s Lillian Leiner won the Mental Attitude Award for Class 4A volleyball at the conclusion of the match. Leiner is a two-year captain and three-year varsity letter winner. (Kirk Green)