West Side Wonders: 23s You Need To Know West Of Indy
The pockets of Indiana with high level volleyball are numerous. West of the city of Indianapolis, however, are a few gems that aren’t necessarily on the beaten path. Here are five you should know about from west of Indy. Quinci…
Access all of Prep Dig
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingThe pockets of Indiana with high level volleyball are numerous. West of the city of Indianapolis, however, are a few gems that aren’t necessarily on the beaten path. Here are five you should know about from west of Indy.
Quinci Thomas Quinci Thomas 6'3" | OH Brownsburg | 2023 State #138 Nation IN , 6-3, OH, Circle City 15 Purple (15-1), Brownsburg High School
If you don’t know about Quinci by now, get on the train. She’s big, she gets up, she terminates on the attack as well as the block, and is a great teammate. Two years ago, this kid was moving like a new-born giraffe. Now, she’s on everyone’s radar as THE pin attacker for the ’23 class. Before the shutdown, she was working on her defense. Imagine how much better she’ll get once that’s in her volleyball rolodex.
Elle Patterson Elle Patterson 6'0" | OH Tri-West | 2023 State IN , 6-0, MB, Boiler Juniors 16 Elite Gold (16-1), Tri-West High School
Not normally known for their volleyball, Elle is easily the best player to come out of Tri-West since Liv Benner (TW class of ’15, Mississippi State). She’s also the only kid on this list to play up a year, which shows her ability to handle the big girls. She’s an M2 who’s slowly learning how to hit behind the setter, and can block anyone. Maybe her young age kept her from being aggressive enough in the tournaments I saw her in, but I’m looking forward to her return once volleyball is back in the gym.
Madison McCubbins Madison McCubbins 5'7" | OH Monrovia | 2023 State IN , 5-7, DS/OH, Circle City 15 Purple (15-1), Monrovia High School
Although she’s used as a DS on the state’s top 15s team, Madison is THE best player on Monrovia, bar none, and plays six rotations there. I like her smooth play and confidence, as this level of open play is WAY ahead of the low-level of high school play she gets at MHS. As a small school kid, Madison is probably overlooked a lot because of her size. However, her club coach, Lori Janssen, doesn’t just take anyone on her team. If she likes her, we like her.
Macy Bruton Macy Bruton 5'11" | DS/L Crawfordsville | 2023 State IN , 5-11, DS/OH, Circle City 15 Purple (15-1), Crawfordsville High School
Going even further west, we hit CHS, where Macy has been the talk of their town in volleyball for some time now. I chatted with her high school coach recently, and she even went so far as to say that she’s been the best volleyball player they’ve had in some time, and was even better than her varsity squad in ’18 (keep in mind, Macy was an 8th grader then, not eligible to play varsity). She’s the best player Crawfordsville has, and yes, DS is listed first because that’s how she’s used for Coach Janssen. Once her attack becomes more consistent and aggressive, she’ll jump on everyone’s radar.
Ella Hemmings Ella Hemmings 5'6" | DS/L Brownsburg | 2023 State IN , 5-6, DS, Circle City 15 Purple (15-1), Brownsburg High School
Brownsburg again. There are a TON of players from multiple classes representing the Bulldogs, and Ella has seen time on 15-1 as the libero. I like her approach to the game; quiet leader, few (if any) mistakes, solid contributor. Nice to have a DS/L you don’t ever have to worry about. Once volleyball kicks back up, we’ll get a better view of her abilities. For now, know that she reminds me of Rylee Cookerly, graduating libero for Valparaiso and also a Brownsburg grad.