Bishop Noll senior Brittany Anderson’s first love has always been softball.
She was so good Anderson committed to Division I James Madison in her freshman year. But Anderson had a change of heart between her junior and senior years.
“I grew up playing volleyball and softball,” said Anderson, who has earned eight varsity letters at Noll. “Softball was always my first priority, and sooner or a later I knew I was going to have to choose one. Softball was the choice that fit for me my freshman year.
“But then I started to think about the 12 to 13 hours I would be away from my family. I have a younger sister and I didn’t want to miss four years of her life. So when I started playing club volleyball and the college coaches started talking to me, I thought, maybe this is a sign.”
Whether it was a sign or not, scholarship opportunities starting come across her table. Valparaiso gave her the opportunity of a lifetime, being close to home and letting her play two sports at a Division I school.
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Now that the college thing is behind her, she can focus on her senior season.
Anderson has high expectations. She was named tournament MVP at last weekend’s Chicago Christian Invitational, totaling 24 kills, 33 digs and 109 assists.
After playing for a state championship and making three semistate appearances with the Warriors, Anderson wants more.
“The reason I went and played club was because I wanted to train for my senior season,” she said. “I’ve been disappointed the last two years losing at semistate.
“At the same time, we can’t take winning sectionals and regionals for granted. I told the team, ‘At this point everybody is gunning for us. And they are training just as hard as we are right now with the same goals in mind.’ We’re going to take it one game at a time.”
Noll coach Dave Rodriguez has a ton of confidence in his senior setter, who’s in her second year as a captain.
“She is more focused than I’ve ever seen her,” he said. “She took losing to Wapahani (in semistate) really hard and she’s dedicated a lot of time in the offseason. She’s hungry and we’ve got a deep team. She’s a heck of a leader.”
And one he hopes takes the Warriors back to the state championship match for a second time in four years.
Sister power: Crown Point coach Alison Duncan toughened up her schedule to prepare for another state run in October. One of the teams she added was powerhouse Indianapolis Cathedral, which the Bulldogs beat Saturday in five games. Morgan Chacon led with 21 kills, while her sister Alaina followed with 10. The Chacons combined for eight blocks.
Howling Wolves: Michigan City first-year coach TR Harlan has watched his team win seven of their first nine matches. The Wolves took Valparaiso to the limit, losing 15-10 in Game 5. Michigan City could be a sleeper in the Duneland Athletic Conference this season.
Ryan Haskell is a freelance writer for the Post-Tribune.
Top 10
With last week’s rankings in parentheses
1. Crown Point (1)
2. Valparaiso (2)
3. Munster (3)
4. Lake Central (4)
5. Bishop Noll (5)
6. Andrean (6)
7. Lowell (NR)
8. Michigan City (NR)
9. LaPorte (7)
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10. Chesterton (8)
Player of the Week: Crown Point’s Morgan Chacon, a senior outside hitter and Florida State commit, had 21 kills and 11 digs Saturday against Indianapolis Cathedral as the Bulldogs improved to 5-2 heading into a big Duneland Athletic Conference match Tuesday against Lake Central.