'There is a lot more there.' NorthWood volleyball looks to take that extra step in 2023
Hilary Laidig has seen plenty to like early on from her NorthWood volleyball team.
The veteran coach of the Red Slam also knows that there is still plenty more in the tank as her squad aims for something special this season.
NorthWood, which checked in at No. 6 in the Class 3A poll earlier this week, is off to an 8-1 start. The Panthers lone loss was a 2-0 decision to Homestead, and they were 1-0 in Northern Lakes Conference play after downing Concord 3-1.
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NorthWood finished 28-7 a season ago and fell just one win short of a trip to the 3A State Finals. The Panthers lost to postseason nemesis Bellmont 3-0 in the semi-state round of the state tournament series.
"We had some really high expectations for this team coming into the season," Laidig said. "So far I think we have competed well at times and at times showed some things we really need to improve. After having time to process that first part of our season our play is normal for beginning of the season and getting used to one another. Although we have a lot of returners our lineup looks completely different than last season."
The Panthers, who boast a veteran unit, have defeated Penn and Fairfield early on this campaign.
"I think we have been most pleased with our players understanding and accepting their roles," said Laidig, now in her 15th season in Nappanee. "We have at times also had great offensive production, but we still feel like there is a lot more there.
"I think we have been surprised in how we really can put lots of girls in many different places on the court. Getting the correct line up is tricky because we have so many girls that can play so many different positions and do it well."
The Red Slam is led by its terrific junior duo of Claire Payne and Sophia Barber. Middle hitter Payne had 101 kills and 18 blocks through eight matches, while outside hitter Barber totaled 49 kills and 94 digs.
"There is obviously a lot of pressure for Claire and Sophia to perform at an incredibly high level due to the success of their freshman/sophomore years and they are embracing that expectation and working towards achieving that success," Laidig remarked. "We certainly don’t feel like they peaked this year, but when they do and the team does, we could be really good. The great thing is they have many pieces around them that also hopefully takes some of the pressure off them to do it all."
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NorthWood also counts on seniors Karis Bennett (76 kills, 110 digs), Hannah Chupp (19 blocks) and Jessie Price. Price leads the team in digs with 135 as NorthWood lost star libero Macy Lengacher, now playing at Indiana State. The duo of senior Emery Porter and junior Anna Roeder are handling the setting chores this season."
Laidig, whose team was NLC runner-up to Warsaw in 2022, knows there is plenty of room for growth as her team hopes to make another long postseason run.
"Our serving and team defense need to get better. We have great servers…and I mean all of them! We have not shown that aggressive consistent serving in a game yet. Defensively we are working on that never let the ball drop mentality! As our blockers get more consistent that will help the back row get more comfortable."
Elkhart, Penn pace Northern Indiana Conference
Defending champion Elkhart and Penn lead the way thus far in the Northern Indiana Conference.
The Lions and Kingsmen, who were slated to meet Thursday night at Penn, both improved to 3-0 with league wins Tuesday night. Elkhart topped Clay 3-0 and Penn defeated Washington 3-0.
Elkhart, which lost a strong senior class from last year's NIC title team, is led by senior Ava Decker and freshman Rylee Drummond.
Penn, under first-year coach and former Kingsmen star Kaitlyn Hickey, is led by the junior duo of Shannon Rudge and Sarah Noto.
LaPorte, South Central rolling
LaPorte and South Central are making plenty of noise too on the court so far this season.
The Slicers, who were No. 7 in Class 4A, were off to a 12-0 start with wins over Penn, New Prairie and Fort Wayne Dwenger early on. LaPorte was also 4-0 in Duneland Athletic Conference play.
Coach TR Harlan's veteran team is led by star senior Emalee Maesch and Ava Holtz. LaPorte finished 26-9 in 2022, losing to Warsaw in a regional semifinal match.
South Central looks ready to make another deep run in Class 2A. The Satellites, who are ranked No. 3, stood at 17-0. South Central had lost just one set in its first 17 matches with a 5-0 mark in Porter County Conference play.
Coach Andrew Welsh's team is led by standout senior outside hitter Tatum Wade. The Satellites went 28-6 a season ago, losing to Andrean in a regional final.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Indiana high school volleyball NorthWood ranked sixth in 3A poll
