Gianna Lemmons is far from the first person in her extended family to play sports at Morgan Township.
Lemmons, a senior who is a three-sport athlete, appreciates being part of that tradition.
“It truly means everything,” she said. “I couldn’t be more grateful for the position that I’m in and for all the opportunities I’ve received. I’m so grateful for my family. They are my No. 1 supporters, and I can always rely on them and go to them if I need help. They’ve always been great role models for me.
“Being one of the youngest, I look up to them, and they’ve inspired me so much. It means a lot to be able to play for them and represent them. When I look at my last name and my family, I couldn’t be prouder to be a Lemmons.”
Lemmons is the youngest of five siblings. At Morgan Township, her brothers Brett and Luke played baseball, her brother Nate played baseball and basketball, and her sister Maria played basketball.
Lemmons also has several cousins who have been key contributors in sports at the school. Among them are Karlie and Josie, who competed in volleyball, softball and basketball. Lemmons credits them with sparking her interest in volleyball, which she began playing casually in fourth grade before taking up the sport full time in middle school.
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Rounding out the Lemmons clan are cousins Cal and Clint, who are Morgan Township seniors like her and play baseball.
“They’re in my grade as well, so it’s been fun,” Lemmons said. “Not only are they in the same grade as me, but we live super close to each other. Being able to grow up together, be in the same grade and spend so much time around them has been great.”
Lemmons, who also plays basketball and softball, has been great as the libero for the Cherokees (21-6) under first-year coach Kelsey Lehman. Lemmons has 205 digs, 256 serve receptions and 23 aces this season.
“Her improvement has been huge,” Lehman said. “When I first got here, she had never played libero. I knew it was kind of a big hole we needed to fill. But Gianna wants to learn. She wants to get better, not even for herself but because she wants to help improve this team.
“Her attitude, drive and personality are fantastic. They’ve allowed her to take my coaching. She takes it very seriously every time. She’s like, ‘What do I need to do? OK, I’ll do it.’ And she does it. So that’s been huge for her this year.”
Lemmons’ breakout season on the volleyball court comes on the heels of a breakout season on the softball field. In the spring, she batted .343 with an .868 OPS and 23 RBIs while playing catcher most of the time.
Lemmons has played softball since she was 6 years old. Along the way, she picked up basketball as well.
Despite the significant time commitment required to play three sports, Lemmons approaches each with the same positive attitude, even when the demands can become overwhelming.
Morgan Township senior right-side hitter Juliana Cook said Lemmons’ positivity makes her a valuable teammate.
“It’s a super positive energy,” Cook said. “You never have to feel like she’s doubting you. She’s a great teammate. No matter what the atmosphere is in the room, she’s always positive.
“Personally, it’s helped me get through tough games. Volleyball is very mental, and if you don’t have that positive energy, it’s hard to get points or get out of bad runs.”
That energy will be important in the days ahead for Morgan Township, which finished second in the Porter County Conference and will play Marquette in the quarterfinals of the Class 1A Kouts Sectional on Oct. 15. The Cherokees beat all the other contenders in the sectional in straight sets during the regular season and have yet to lose to a 1A team.
Extending the season would mean a lot to Lemmons. Morgan Township hasn’t won a sectional title since 2019.
“It definitely makes me a little sad looking back on all the work and all the fun that we’ve had and put in over this season and past seasons,” Lemmons said. “I definitely will be sad when it comes to an end, but I know that I will do everything in my power to make it last as long as I can.
“I’m someone who wants to win so badly, and I know our team wants to win really badly as well. So I’m excited to see what the sectional tournament has in store for us, and I think we can do some really great things there.”
Noah Poser is a freelance reporter.