Perry Meridian has good experience with seniors, from left, rightside hitter Sara Allen, libero Par Sung, defensive specialist Makayla Gomperts and outside hitter Savanna Pipes.
A trio of Perry Meridian juniors are ready to step up this season for the Falcons. They are, from left, outside hitter GraceAnn Hartman, setter Molly Shannon and middle hitter Sally Mortensen. (19-9) – Third year under former Center Grove standout/coach Jen (Gandolph) Hawk … lost to Roncalli in sectional title game … graduated Caitie Baird (Stanford), career 1,833 kills and 1,092 digs, and Megan Bolyard … 54 girls tried out for Falcon varsity, JV and freshman teams … must figure out “life without Baird” this season … no problem … eight returning players plus four juniors and one soph up from JV … solid in back row and more balanced up front … returning starters – seniors, captain/outside hitter 5-8 Savannah Pipes (233 digs, 116 kills) to become ‘go to’ player; 5-11 Sara Allen (125 kills, 54 blocks) moved from the middle to outside hitter last year; back row Par Sung (234 digs) and defensive specialist Makayla Comperts (118 digs) … two juniors, 6-0 GraceAnn Hartman, outside hitter (113 kills) and 5-10 Sally Mortensen, middle blocker (68 blocks), third-year starters … soph Lauren Crittendon played varsity as a freshman … young players ready to step up are juniors, 5-10 setter Claire Morris, outside hitter Makalyn Miller, middle blocker Railyn Poynter and defensive specialist Abby Sitzman plus soph Campbell Clark … home opener Aug. 28 against Mid-State foe Mooresville and then go to Ben Davis tourney Aug. 31.
Coach’s comments: “She (Baird) was great and a blast to coach, but we are moving forward. I’m excited to see the other players step up because they have been hidden for a couple of years. I think we’re under the radar because our opponents know we don’t have Caitie. We have some nice talent coming back. They want to take over their roles and spread it out. We don’t have to find another Caitie; we can fill it with several people. It’s their time to shine. Most of these girls love the big games. They have a new drive. We have a good mix of personalities. Our younger players don’t seem to be intimidated by playing at this level. We will have a lot of options on the floor because we can have different lineups on given nights. We have experience and depth. Our best problem is figuring how who will start. This is going to be fun.”
Coach’s comments: “She (Baird) was great and a blast to coach, but we are moving forward. I’m excited to see the other players step up because they have been hidden for a couple of years. I think we’re under the radar because our opponents know we don’t have Caitie. We have some nice talent coming back. They want to take over their roles and spread it out. We don’t have to find another Caitie; we can fill it with several people. It’s their time to shine. Most of these girls love the big games. They have a new drive. We have a good mix of personalities. Our younger players don’t seem to be intimidated by playing at this level. We will have a lot of options on the floor because we can have different lineups on given nights. We have experience and depth. Our best problem is figuring how who will start. This is going to be fun.”
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