During the winter sports season, Wheeler sophomore Allyson Stills is an impact player on the school’s girls basketball team.
This fall, she has become a real contributor to the volleyball team as well.
“She’s all over the place and the girls feed off of that,” Wheeler coach Alisha Brown said of Stills. “She is long-legged and long-limbed, and the girls have fun with that. I think she keeps them honest and she works hard. She’s her biggest competitor.”
Stills knows how to smack down a volleyball, too.
That’s why Brown moved her from middle hitter last season to outside hitter this season.
The results were immediate as Stills has become one of the team’s kill leaders.
Brown is hoping Stills’ success will help the Bearcats in the postseason when Wheeler opens up sectional play against two-time defending sectional champion New Prairie on Saturday, Oct. 24, at 12:30 p.m.
A win against the Cougars would put Wheeler in the championship match at 7 p.m.
The Bearcats, who have 14 sectional championships in program history, haven’t won a title since 2012.
Stills was moved up from JV to varsity at the end of last season. She contributed a kill and three digs for the Bearcats in a four-game loss to Andrean last year in the sectional opener.
She’s planning to make more noise this time around.
“It was really fun last year but I was definitely nervous making the transition from JV to varsity,” Stills said. “I feel I’ve grown so much from my first game. I am very comfortable on the outside.
“In the middle, I was always trying to make sure I was at the right place at the right time. On the outside, I can play offense or defense and not worry about being in the perfect spot.”
Although she has played basketball longer, Stills has grown fond of volleyball and calls it her favorite sport.
Brown said she’s shown a lot of dedication to improving herl game.
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“(Still) has really grown as a volleyball player,” said Brown, who played in college at Indiana State. “She flipped over the top of our bench (against Munster), but was back on the court even before I turned back around.
“She’s always hustling.”
The Bearcats will need that energy if they hope to bring back home a 15th sectional title.
Ryan Haskell is a freelance writer for the Post-Tribune.
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL TOP 10
Last week’s ranking in parentheses
1. Valparaiso (1)
2. Munster (2)
3. Lake Central (3)
4. Crown Point (4)
5. Bishop Noll (5)
6. Lowell (8)
7. Andrean (6)
8. LaPorte (7)
9. Hanover Central (10)
10. Michigan City (NR)
Player of the Week: Valparaiso junior Rachel Bontrager recorded 32 kills, 23 digs and eight blocks for points during the LaPorte Dig Pink Tournament last weekend. The Vikings beat Roncalli and Crown Point in the championship flight to earn the title and improve to 29-0.