Cut for being too short, she lifted her way to D-1. 'I find joy in proving people wrong.'

GREENWOOD — Josh Sabol remembers the exact moment he knew his daughter Sophie's basketball career was over.

He was helping coach his daughter's fifth-grade team — one which included future standouts Faith Wiseman, Lauren Foster, Gabby Spink, Lilly Bischoff and Aubrie Booker — when someone stole the ball from Sophie during a game. She managed to tie it up and after the official called for a jump ball … Sophie punched the girl in the ribs.

The referees didn't see it, but her coaches sure did.

Did Sophie just punch that girl in the ribs?

Yeah, I think so.

"It was right there I knew her basketball career was over," Josh said. "She needed some sort of barrier so the other team was on the other side of the net, whether it was softball or volleyball — something to keep her separate from the opponent."

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Though she never really liked basketball to begin with, Sophie confirmed the decision to stop playing was more her parents than her own, and after spending the past few years playing church league volleyball, they decided to sign her up with a club team.

She absolutely loved it.

That feisty fifth grader is now a senior outside hitter at Center Grove and one of the Trojans' top attackers, averaging 2.6 kills per set entering Saturday's Class 4A Sectional 13 semifinal at Greenwood. She's certainly undersized for her position at 5-7 — she recalls struggling to clear the net with her serve until middle school — but she's an all-around athlete, boasting a 30-inch vertical and a thunderous swing.

"It might not always look the prettiest, but she's always going to give you her max effort and she plays with a lot of heart," Center Grove coach Jennifer Hawk said. "It's a unique trait, which allows her to be successful out there (and) has helped her overcome being a little bit shorter."

That attitude is contagious.

Sophie was motivated over the summer to create a "hard-working culture" within the program, Hawk said, recalling the work she put in with her fellow seniors and returning players to design a workout plan with different conditioning and individual skill drills that inspired players to attend voluntary workouts. "They found ways to keep it all fun and interesting."

As for the height thing? Sophie says that's part of her volleyball personality, an ever-present chip on her shoulder.

When her club team cut her because she was "too short" to be a six-rotation hitter, Sophie focused on excelling in beach volleyball and powerlifting instead. She won a powerlifting national championship in 2022 and will be headed to Houston Christian University next fall on a beach volleyball scholarship.

When teams dare overlook No. 4 during a match, focusing instead on 6-foot hitters/middles Reese Dunkle and Ava Mardis, Sophie relishes the opportunity to capitalize on the openings that creates for her and junior Ellen Zapp on the outside. "I view it as an advantage," she said.

"Yeah, being short you have to work a lot harder, be more explosive and jump a lot higher," Sophie continued, "but I find joy in proving people wrong."

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Center Grove was at home vs. Brebeuf Jesuit last season when libero Sheridan Young pancaked a ball and sent it flying in a "really weird direction" on the court. What appeared to be an easy point for the Braves was instead chased down by Sophie, who threw her body toward the end line, flung her arm around and knocked the ball back over the net, earning the Trojans an unexpected point.

"It was the epitome of what Sophie is, doing the little things and sacrificing her body just to try to keep it going," Hawk said. "It was a really good reflection of the type of kid she is."

Hawk was the Sabols' first call after their daughter was cut from her club team.

Sophie was heartbroken and uneasy. She was already in contact with a few Division I teams at the time, and was still hearing from a number of them even after tryouts. I'm going to be so behind. I'm going to be so lost. As Sophie saw it, she had three options: Try out for another club, focus on powerlifting — a sport she'd picked up over the summer (and become quite good at) — or explore possible opportunities through beach volleyball.

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Hawk suggested beach and offered to help on the recruiting trail through her connections as a former college coach.

Sophie was on board immediately.

"One of my goals has always been to pay for my school," said Sophie, who had played in a few beach tournaments for fun. "I knew that would really drive me because my parents have already done so much for me. I couldn't let them down so I had to continue with beach volleyball."

Sophie and her parents had to make the change quickly, swapping in beach volleyball clips to her recruiting reel (with a little powerlifting mixed in, too) and updating her recruiting profiles to reflect her new primary sport.

Sophie partnered with Roncalli's Logan Bell, and as the two began competing at various events and tournaments, the Center Grove standout's recruiting stock quickly rose.

With her second-to-last visit, Sophie traveled to Houston Christian, a small Division I university located in southwest Houston. The school wasn't at the top of her list, initially, she admits, but the visit really sold her.

"It was Texas Day, and I rode a bull, ate a sausage on a stick and I pet a kangaroo within 15 minutes," Sophie smiled. "That and just meeting the girls on the team — I stayed in the dorms and was able to connect with them — really persuaded me."

Becoming a champion powerlifter

Sophie's first powerlifting competition was in the basement of a "really old" workout facility in a suburb of Chicago.

Oh, and it was the morning after Franklin lost to Noblesville in the 2022 Class 4A girls basketball state championship game, meaning Josh Sabol — the Grizzly Cubs' head coach at the time — had about three hours at home before he had to hit the road with his daughter.

"As a coach, he's thinking about everything that could've happened during the game, so he was like, 'Let's just do it. Let's go. I'm going to be up anyways,'" Sophie said.

"(The 3 a.m. drive) was probably the best thing," Josh added. "It really helped me get through it, because Sophie and I were able to have a really good talk. … We just talked the whole way up there."

Sophie's powerlifting career was born from volleyball.

She told her dad the summer before her sophomore year she wanted to become a six-rotation outside hitter and to compete at the D-I level. They were lofty aspirations and Josh was open with Sophie about the long-odds of doing so as a 5-6, 115-pound defensive specialist (most college outside hitters are 6-foot or taller). But if she was serious about it, she needed to change her body.

Sophie was on board, so Josh set her up with Jeremy Hartman, a powerlifting coach he knew from his days at Franklin.

Josh had to carry his daughter to the car after her first session because she'd never been through a workout like that.

"She trained twice a week for like four or five months and completely changed," he said. "Her confidence changed, her athleticism — just freak athleticism: Vertical jump, change of direction, linear (and) lateral speed. I remember (Hartman) said to me, 'Has she ever thought about competing? I'm telling you, she can do some things I've never seen before.'"

At Hartman's suggestion, they signed Sophie up for that national qualifying event in February 2022.

Sophie cleared her numbers at her first event. A few weeks later, she was competing at nationals inside a massive hotel convention room. "I ended up winning (my weight class)," Sophie beamed.

"I had no idea what I was doing," she continued. "I was just there, doing what I was told."

Sophie stayed with powerlifting over this past summer, and plans to resume whenever her high school volleyball season ends.

"As every athlete would say, we need that outlet," said Sophie, whose maxes out at 300 back squat, benches 125 and deadlifts 298. "And I saw (powerlifting) as an opportunity to develop this new family and new hobby. … I've found a lot of joy in lifting."

Back on the sand

Sophie received a text from Logan Bell within a few hours of the IHSAA's ruling on beach and indoor volleyball being overturned last month. Hey, ruling overturned. Do you want to meet up in Beech Grove tomorrow?

"I loved it," Sophie said of their return to the sand. "Beach is my number one sport and after being in high school season every day for the past couple months, it was a good break."

"I think there are a lot of girls out there like Sophie who are maybe undervalued or underappreciated, or have been rejected and they may think indoor is the only option for them to get a Division I scholarship," Josh added. "With the IHSAA listening to the Bells and allowing beach and indoor to coexist, I think it opens all kinds of possibilities for players like Sophie."

Beach volleyball has had a massive impact on Sophie's career, providing her an opportunity to earn a college scholarship, and also helping her further her development as an indoor player with Center Grove.

Beyond the physical benefits — an improved vertical chief among them — Sophie said she's better at reading the court and finding open spaces when she takes a swing. "That comes with practicing beach because you only have two people and have to read the court as soon as you go up," she explained. "Also when playing defense, I felt I've been able to dig more, fill in the seam and jump in the hole a lot more this season."

As for his daughter's journey to becoming a D-I commit and national champion powerlifter with aspirations of leading her high school team on a deep postseason run, Josh said being cut from her club team was maybe the best thing that could've happened to her.

"The one thing I know about Sophie is that the worst thing you can do is tell her no, because she's just gonna prove you wrong. And that's what she did."

Follow Brian Haenchen on Twitter at @Brian_Haenchen.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IHSAA volleyball: Sophie Sabol powerlifting leads to beach scholarship