By RICHIE HALL
FISHERS – It was Senior Night, it was the regular-season finale, and the Hamilton Southeastern volleyball team had a share of the Hoosier Crossroads Conference championship in its grasp.
You bet the Royals were fired up to play on Thursday.
Southeastern came out blasting in its final home match of the season, beating Franklin Central 25-12, 25-18, 25-15. With the victory, the Royals will share the HCC crown with Avon, as both teams finished 6-1 in the conference this season.
“Tonight was important for a lot of reasons,” said HSE coach Jason Young. “One, Senior Night, but two, the win tonight made sure we were able to secure part of the conference championship, which is a big deal.”
The two-time defending Class 4A state champion Royals were overwhelming in the first set, skipping out to a 16-3 lead. Maye McConnell served a streak of nine straight points, including three aces. Lindsey Mangelson hit three kills and two aces, with Kaylyn Christy punching down a pair of kills as well.
The Flashes got themselves together and went on a run to cut Southeastern’s lead to 17-10, but the Royals took over after that and won eight of the next 10 points. Mangelson ended the set with another kill.
Franklin Central put up some resistance in the second set, at one point leading 14-11. HSE blitzed back at that point, taking 14 of the next 18 points to win the set. Mangelson and Madison Miles both spiked a pair of kills, and Ava Hunter served an ace on set point.
With a 2-0 set lead, the Royals steadily built a lead in the third set. Mangelson let it rip during the early part of the set with four kills and an ace. Then it was Miles’ turn to hit four kills, dominating the middle part of the set. She finished the match with 12 kills.
“She had a great offseason,” Young said of Miles, an Illinois commit. “I just think she’s hitting at a higher level. I think she’s hitting with more power. I think she has more shots now. She’s been a dominant player for us and it’s been nice to have that 1-2 punch for us on the outside, kind of like we did last year with (Lauren) Harden and with Mangelson. Now we have it in Miles and Mangelson, so it’s nice.”
Both players kept up the strong hitting as HSE neared the finish line, and Mangelson smacked another kill on match point to get the sweep. The Royals were 3-for-3 on set points in the match.
Mangelson totaled 15 kills for Southeastern. Last year she was the junior among an incredibly talented senior class; now she is the senior among a group of talented juniors.
“She’s handled it with ease,” said Young. “She’s been such a big part of the success of this program over the last three years.” The coach said Mangelson “takes a lot of ownership” of the program and described her this season as “very calm” and “business-like.”
Hunter dished out 26 assists in the match. Bella Dafforn led the digs with nine.
The Royals finished the regular season 28-2 and head to Westfield for Class 4A Sectional 8. Southeastern plays its first match Saturday, Oct. 19 in the semifinals, taking on the winner of a first-round match between Carmel and Zionsville.
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