Wes-Del volleyball looking to capitalize on senior-laden roster
GASTON, Ind. — Upon the screech of a bell signaling the start of fourth period at Wes-Del High School, a class of 22 students assembles before their teacher, Biff Wilson, a Wes-Del social studies instructor and the Warriors head volleyball coach.
Wilson’s fourth-hour course (dual-credit U.S. government) covers a subject matter which he has taught for decades, but one aspect of this particular class is far from ordinary for the veteran educator: its composition of students.
Seven of the 22 pupils in the midday class are also vital senior leaders on his volleyball squad.
The veteran coach, who is on the cusp of his 15th campaign in Gaston, currently relies on those seniors to contribute to the classroom atmosphere, and he will soon heavily rely on their on-court abilities once the Warriors open their season on August 15 against Daleville.
More: 10 East Central Indiana boys tennis players to watch in 2023 IHSAA fall sports season
Among the 12 players on Wes-Del’s varsity roster this season, a staggering eight athletes are seniors, making the maroon and white one of the most senior-backed teams in the area.
Given his considerable experience at helm for the Warriors, Wilson can precisely identify where his team’s experience will be useful this season as it looks to capture its third straight 20-win season.
“Experience dictates a lot of times what you do in practice,” Wilson said. “I don't have to direct as much because we've got good leadership in this group.
“I think that because they're all experienced varsity players, you handle close matches differently, you handle losses differently, you learn a little bit differently. So the talk after matches is elevated from, ‘Here's what we could do better’ to ‘What do you guys think?’ … “What do we need to work on in practice this week?’”
More: 18 East Central Indiana boys cross country runners to watch in 2023 IHSAA fall sports season
Wes-Del’s talented senior class is headlined by a pair of 2022 All-Mid-Eastern Conference selections: Ella Mauck and Rachel McGlothin.
Mauck, an aggressive front row player, enjoyed one of the area’s most impressive breakout seasons a year ago. In her junior campaign, the Indiana Wesleyan commit tallied 206 kills (121 more than the previous year), notched 55 blocks (28 more than 2022) and registered an MEC-leading hitting percentage (0.363).
“(Mauck is) hard to miss in the middle of the floor or wherever she's hitting from,” Wilson said. “She brings a level of intensity that nobody else on the team brings … She has certain demands that she brings along and (has) a very high level of intensity.”
As one of the team’s captains, the sizable hitter expressed her clear intent to capitalize on her senior class’s final season in a Wes-Del uniform.
“We have a whole team of seniors, one junior, and we all know that the talent is there,” Mauck said. “And it's just a matter of how good can we be (and) how hard can we work to get to where we want to be by the end of the season.”
McGlothin, a front-row force along with Mauck, also recorded a strong season in 2022. The 5-foot-8-inch hitter led the Warriors in kills (206) and kills per set (2.5), while also logging 186 digs.
Wilson noted that the daughter of former Wes-Del boys basketball coach John McGlothin is far less vocal than Mauck, but admired her unique, quiet leadership.
“Rachel has a whole different level of intensity,” Wilson said. “Rachel is very quiet. Rachel is a workman. Rachel will arguably be the smartest player on the floor, no matter who we play.
“She's a coach's daughter and she thinks like a coach.”
McGlothin expressed a sentiment expected of a senior-rich team, highlighting the benefits of playing alongside longtime friends.
“It's fun to be in school with all of us (at) a small school,” McGlothin said. “We're best friends at school, and I think that helps us on the court compared to other teams who are playing with freshmen on varsity.”
Beyond the two aforementioned leaders, whom Wilson praised for their work on and off the court, a trio of other seniors, unsurprisingly, will be among the top performers for the Warriors this season.
Jennah Love is poised for another strong season as Wes-Del’s primary setter after dishing out a team-high 357 assists and serving a team-leading 57 aces in 2022. Coming off arguably the finest season of her career — 162 kills, 195 digs, and 55 aces — Liv Delaney will be a key all-around threat this year as well.
Additionally, Wilson touted the potential contributions from libero Kaydan Jones, a senior who may be “unfamiliar” to Wes-Del fans as she transferred from nearby Alexandria over the offseason.
“(Jones is) a very steady, valuable back row player (who) knows the game well,” Wilson said. “She's smart. She's vocal when she has to be … I think our fans will really enjoy seeing her back there.”
For the casual observer, the measuring stick for this Warriors’ senior class will be its success in Sectional 40, perhaps the state’s top Class 2A sectional which features Muncie Burris and Wapahani.
Yet the experienced core of Wes-Del’s squad is unphased by the challenges posed by their stacked sectional field and are bullishly eyeing a deep postseason run.
“(We will) just go in playing our game,” Mauck said. “(We’re not) worrying about how big another school is, or anything like that.”
However, Wilson is not solely concerned about the team’s postseason fate. The well-tuned volleyball mind emphasized a different mark of toughness, something that he considers to be the true test of a team’s pedigree.
“I kind of look at teams towards the end of the season in terms of timeouts,” Wilson said. “How many are we calling? Why are we calling them? How much do I really need to say?
“The best teams we've had here … I have players that just take over timeout conversations that the other team has called because we haven't needed to. The measure is leadership and cohesiveness.”
Follow Adam Altobella on Twitter @AltobellaAdam.
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Wes-Del volleyball looking to capitalize on senior-laden roster
