In Northwest Indiana (NWI), Boys Volleyball is a developing sport that is only going to get stronger.
Boys Volleyball started in the area in late 2022 as tryouts and teams began to form. These boys compete in a league called the Indiana Boys Volleyball Coaches Association (IBVCA). This league controls the standings and rules within the Region.
A lot goes into playing volleyball, such as understanding the positions that rotate throughout a game and tournament.
The outside hitter, who serves as the main offensive attacker, is one of these positions. You must be agile, able to jump high, and flexible to succeed in this role.
The next position is the opposite hitter, also known as the right-side hitter, who serves as the main target for the opposing team's setter. An opposite hitter is essentially both offensive and defensive. A setter is a significant offender during the transition and an important member of the team; without the setter, there would be no hard spikes or expert ball movement.
The tallest player on the squad is a middle blocker or middle hitter, who stands in front of the following player and receives hits from the opposing team. A libero fills the next-to-last position; this player sits in the back row and responds to hits from the opposing team.
Then lastly, a defensive specialist can swap out anyone on the court, but their main goal when they are on the court is ball control.
Teams are early in the competition season, but some are showing off with flying colors and some are just getting their feet wet.
The teams that are in the Top 10 include schools in our Region like Hebron High School (HHS) of Hebron, Indiana. HHS is in first in the standings as of Tuesday, May 9, and it has a lot of stars to showcase that helped secure that huge triumph.
With three kills per six sets, Junior Middle Blocker and Outside Hitter Landen Hale of HHS is the team's kills-per-set (K/S) leader. With five digs per four sets, Junior Opposite Hitter and Defensive Specialist Trevor Roy is ranked #1 in digs-per-set (D/S).
Lake Central High School (LCHS) ranks third in the IBVCA, with a record of seven wins and zero losses at home and nine wins and one loss away.
Junior Hunter Carroll of LCHS, an outside hitter, leads the team in K/S with two kills per seven sets. Senior Ryan Florida, a libero, ranks first in D/S with four digs per six sets.
Boone Grove High School (BGHS) in Valparaiso, Indiana, is the fifth-ranked high school in the IBVCA and has a record of 11 and zero at home and 12 to one away.
Junior Kameron Dixon, who plays opposite hitter and setter, leads BGHS in K/S, with three kills every three sets, and also has the highest hitting percentage (0.36%). With four kills in one game, Junior Caden Harretos from BGHS is in first place in terms of D/S.
Next is Valparaiso High School (VHS) which ranks 6th, with a record of six wins to one loss at home and six wins and one loss away.
The leader in K/S at VHS is Junior Nicholas Fiorito, whose position is opposite hitter & middle hitter. He has three kills per nine sets. Owen Morris, a VHS junior, has a hitting percentage of 0.262%.
Lastly, another school in the Region within the Top 10 is Illiana Christian High School (ICHS), which ranks eighth in the IBVCA.
Hunter DeYoung, a junior at ICHS, leads K/S with two kills per five sets. With three digs per six sets, senior Andrew Pigatti leads D/S.
These teams, and plenty more, ranked high in the IBVCA, which is an impressive achievement because of how new the sport is in Northwest Indiana.
To learn more about how your child can sign up to join these amazing teams, look below at their respective athletic departments:
- Boone Grove High School
- Valparaiso High School
- Crown Point High School
- Merrillville High School
- Andrean High School
- Illiana Christian High School
- LaPorte High School
- Lake Central High School
- Portage High School
- Michigan City High School
- Chesterton High School
- Bishop Noll Insitute
- Hammond Central High School
- Kankakee Valley High School
- Hobart High School
For more information on the standings: https://www.maxpreps.com/league/rmaDc8zEqEOxduPUUbZ-ow/standings-ibvca.htm
As this is our first guide on Boys Volleyball in the Region, we would love to include or add more information to make this article filled with as much knowledge of the sport as possible. Please don't hesitate to contact us at share@greatnews.life to add more information.
More High School Sports in the Region articles here:
