By RICHIE HALL
As the Hamilton Southeastern volleyball team finishes its final preparations for the Class 4A state championship, it has the advantage of already playing its opponent.
The Royals will take on New Castle at 5 p.m. Saturday afternoon for the 4A title at Ball State University’s Worthen Arena. The Trojans will come into the match as the No. 1-ranked team in the state, according to the IndianaPrepVolleyball.com and MaxPreps ratings, while Southeastern is rated No. 2 by MaxPreps and No 4 by Indiana Prep Volleyball.
The two teams played each other back on Aug. 21 during the first week of the season. It was Southeastern’s second match of the year, and it went quickly, 27-25, 25-12, 25-11.
“We had just installed our 4-2 offense and it was really new,” said Royals coach Jason Young. “We competed well in the first set losing 27-25 and then fell apart. We were not a mentally tough team in the first week of the season. Our schedule has changed that. Our offense is clicking on all cylinders and defensively we are wearing teams down.”
Indeed, Southeastern has toughened up over the course of the season, and now the Royals are the ones dominating. Southeastern swept through the Noblesville sectional without the loss of a set, then returned to The Mill to take the regional title.
After beating Homestead in a straight-set semi-final, HSE took care of No. 5 McCutcheon. The Royals dropped their only set of the post-season 25-23, then took the next two 25-17, 25-20 before running away with the fourth set 25-9 for the regional trophy. Southeastern beat No. 8 Crown Point in the Frankfort semi-state to qualify for the state championship, the first time in program history.
New Castle has had a similar run through the post-season. The Trojans moved up to 4A due to the IHSAA’s success factor, after winning back-to-back 3A state championships in 2017 and 2018. The move up to the highest class has not affected New Castle’s success, as it has now won 20 straight post-season matches.
The Trojans won their own sectional, only dropping one set. That was in the semi-final, when they needed four sets to defeat No. 2 Yorktown, the defending 4A state champion. New Castle had already beaten Richmond in the first round, then got past the Tigers and won the title with a straight-set victory over Mount Vernon.
The Trojans then won the Greenfield-Central regional, sweeping past Cathedral in the semi-finals and Roncalli in the championship. New Castle took on No. 9 Center Grove in the Columbus East semi-state, and overcame the loss of the first set 25-21 to win the next three 25-23, 25-20, 25-20.
In addition to their top state ranking, MaxPreps has the Trojans ranked No. 4 in its national rankings. New Castle is 34-1, with its only loss coming to Louisville Assumption, the No. 1-ranked team in Kentucky. The Trojans have lost only six sets all season.
Young named several players on the Trojans’ team, including three that are committed to Division I schools. The list starts with senior Melani Shaffmaster, a Minnesota recruit who Young said is “the best setter in the country” and “a rare talent.” Shaffmaster has 901 assists this season.
“She runs the show and her size and physical abilities are hard to stop,” said Young.
The other two Division I recruits are junior Bailey Cox, a Georgia recruit who leads in digs with 265. Senior Zoe Conway, a Ball State recruit, is the New Castle libero, with 218 digs.
Junior Mabrey Shaffmaster leads the Trojans’ offense with 650 kills. Young calls her “one of the best outside attackers in the country” and that she “scores from everywhere.” Junior Laila Smith, a middle hitter, has 320 kills. Young said Smith “is really fast in the middle of the court.”
The Trojans’ coach is Sarah Roush, who is in her second season at New Castle. Roush played on the 1A runner-up Wes-Del team in 2009.
“The New Castle coaching staff is one of the best and always well prepared,” said Young.
Southeastern comes into state with a 29-4 record, with its only other losses (besides New Castle) to 4A No. 3 Providence, Yorktown, and 2A No. 4 Heritage Christian. The Eagles will play No. 2 Wapahani in the 2A state finals.
The Royals are led by the one-two punch of junior Delaney Garner, with 361 kills, and senior Abby Weber, who has put down 350 kills this season. Senior Grace Hunter is next in line with 257 kills.
Junior Olivia Phillips has dished out 517 assists, with sophomore Emily Weber handing out 466. On defense, junior libero Carly Mills, an Indiana recruit, has collected 538 digs. Garner has 74 blocks.
With the state match only a day away, the Royals have been enjoying the week, but are also aware of what is to come.
“It has been a joy,” said Young. “Obviously this is the team’s first experience with the state finals. The kids are excited but I feel like we have been very focused this entire run. This week will be very normal for us with the exception of playing at Worthen Arena. We were fortunate this summer to play in a summer scrimmage series at Ball State and had the opportunity to play on the floor for two matches. Obviously this match will be slightly more attended by our fans than the summer was. Should be a great match.”
Hamilton Southeastern’s Delaney Garner (center) has hit 361 kills for the Royals volleyball team this season. Southeastern will play New Castle Saturday at Ball State University for the Class 4A state championship. (Kirk Green/File photo)