Bishop Noll setter Brittany Anderson didn’t look like a freshman the first time she stepped onto the court for coach Dave Rodriguez and the Warriors.
She’s proven too that just because she was young, she didn’t have to act her age.
Three sectional championships, two regional titles and a conference championship later, Anderson, a junior, said she now feels very comfortable running the offense for the Warriors.
“Two years ago, we didn’t look at her as a freshman,” Rodriguez said. “She was (6 feet) tall and out there running with the varsity team. She looked like she was 18 and belonged out there. You forgot she was 14 years old.
“Still, she is a different player. She is a lot more confident in her ability. When she goes on that court, she’s a leader. She leads with her attitude and her stat line, and she’s not one-dimensional. She leads us from time to time in digs, assists, aces, give us kills when we need them. … Whatever we need, she can give us.”
Gone is 2014 Post-Tribune Player of the Year Carly Cappello, who helped lead the Warriors to the school’s first state championship match in ’13. Three-year setter Emily Johnson also graduated last season. Senior Amber Williams, who graduates this spring, is still on the team but is out for the season with an ACL injury.
Anderson is one of three Warriors with regional experience, and her leadership will be needed for Noll (26-11) in its quest for a third straight regional title. The Warriors host North Judson (24-8) in regional play for the second time in three years at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
She knows it won’t be as easy as last time, when the Warriors swept the under-.500 Bluejays.
“I have to keep reminding myself and the team to take it one game at a time,” Anderson said. “We can’t take anyone for granted. Anything can happen in the postseason.
“We have done some research on them, and they do have some talent; it’s not going to be a cakewalk.”
Nothing’s been a cakewalk for Noll this season. The Warriors have lost both Williams and Jordan Lomlin to ACL injuries, forcing Rodriguez to change tactics.
“We’ve faced a lot of adversity when both girls went down,” he said. “We completely changed what we wanted to do. When we looked at this team a couple matches in, we knew Jordan was capable of putting up the big block and Amber was a threat at the net.
“Now we’ve gone to a small but kind of fast lineup.”
The Warriors also went from a 6-2 offense last season to a 5-1 offense this season.
Rodriguez said Anderson has taken on the challenge like a champ.
“Right off the bat, when I told her we were running a 5-1, she became very excited,” he said. “She was really interested in running the offense and learning where she can gain advantages. She’s very smart too.
“There are times I will tell her to do things, and she will do them differently, and I will say, ‘She was probably right.’ She knows when to spread the ball, and she knows when to go heavy to (area kills leader) Bella (Kuechenberg).”
Ryan Haskell is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
Scouting girls volleyball regionals
Class 4A Lake Central
Crown Point (30-6) vs. Lake Central (30-5)
When: 7 p.m. Tuesday
Outlook: Lake Central senior Tori Gardenhire is looking to lead her team back to the semistate for the first time since her freshman season in 2012. To win their third regional title since 1994, the Indians would have to defeat the Bulldogs for the third time this season. Crown Point, which knocked off previously undefeated Valparaiso in the sectional semifinals, won’t go down easy and is looking to win the school’s first regional since 1992.
Advancement: Winner vs. Zionsville Regional winner in Plymouth Semistate semifinals at 11:30 a.m. Saturday.
Class 4A LaPorte
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Elkhart Memorial (25-7) vs. LaPorte (22-16)
When: 6 p.m. Tuesday
Outlook: Bayli Lebo finally got her first sectional championship after leading the Slicers to a dominating sweep over South Bend Adams on Saturday night. Lebo leads LaPorte with 354 kills, 488 digs and 36 aces. Setter Brooke Ewing has also found her groove with her hitters. Ewing leads the Slicers with 696 assists.
Advancement: Winner vs. Carroll Regional winner in Plymouth Semistate semifinals at 10 a.m. Saturday.
Class 3A Kankakee Valley
New Prairie (33-3) vs. Kankakee Valley (13-20)
When: 7 p.m. Tuesday
Outlook: Moving out of Sectional 18 proved to the winning formula as the Kougars were able to defeat Hammond and Griffith to win the school’s first sectional championship since 2004. But three-time defending Sectional 18 champ New Prairie will be a handful for KV as it sports one of the toughest front lines in northern Indiana.
Advancement: Winner vs. Bellmont Regional winner in Twin Lake Semistate semifinals at 10 a.m. Saturday.
Class 2A Bishop Noll
North Judson (24-6) vs. Bishop Noll (26-11)
When: 7 p.m. Tuesday
Outlook: The two-time defending regional champion Warriors are the favorites with sophomore outside hitter Bella Kuechenberg leading the way. She leads the area in both kills (463) and aces (127). North Judson is paced by freshman Lauren Cox, who leads her team with 313 kills and 112 blocks.
Advancement: Winner vs. Madison-Grant Regional winner in Bremen Semistate semifinals at 10 a.m. Saturday.
Class A Morgan Township
Pioneer (26-10) vs. Morgan Township (30-5)
When: 5:30 p.m. Tuesday
Outlook: Morgan Township hopes to continue its exceptional play against the defending regional champion. The Cherokees won the Porter County Conference title before defeating Marquette in four games to win the school’s first sectional championship since 1998.
Next: Winner vs. Triton Regional winner in the Caston Semistate semifinals at 10 a.m. Saturday.