There were plenty of unknowns for Greencastle entering the 2022 volleyball season.
There were multiple new faces joining the roster that would eventually cement themselves into the starting rotation.
There were more experienced members of the squad taking on far more prominent roles and varsity sets than in seasons’ past.
There was even a coaching change practically on the doorstep of the first official practice of the year.
The one consistent spot among all of the changes for the Tiger Cubs was Caroline Gooch.
Gooch led the team with 175 kills out of the right side, adding in a team-high 66 blocks, 23 solo, 100 receptions and 96 digs, keeping things stable as the team took shape around her.
The senior’s efforts earned her the title of Putnam County Volleyball Player of the Year as voted upon by the county coaches.
Gooch wasn’t a front line player entering high school but said an injury to a starter altered her course on the court.
“First, I was a JV setter for half of my freshman year,” Gooch said. “When Allison (Stevens) got hurt, I moved to middle hitter for the rest of the year in the varsity lineup.
“I stayed there as a sophomore then moved to right side hitter as a junior.”
With right side hitters getting less opportunities than the other two front line roles, Gooch said she focused on her defensive duties more during the offseason while adding additional shots to her attack plan.
“I worked on blocking more,” Gooch said. “I had a lot more blocks this year than I had previously.
“I also worked on hitting sixes more often. Setters don’t really set behind as much so getting balls isn’t always as frequent.”
With a large freshman squad coming up from the middle school and a small pool of players with significant varsity experience returning, Gooch, along with seniors Keirsten Clark and Olivia Richardville, were entrusted to get the squad pulling in the same direction.
“I tried to include the freshmen more in things,” Gooch said about building up camaraderie within the team. “We did team breakfast and tattoos at our Thursday night league.
“I wasn’t the quiet one but I also wasn’t the loud one. I fit in the middle of the three of us, trying to lead but not being mean about it.”
Though it took time with several players not available during the first portion of the summer, Gooch said the group was beginning to build up a head of steam just before head coach Maggie Walters departed days before the start of the new season with assistant coach Denise Meyer taking over.
“During the Plainfield league, things were a little rough,” Gooch noted. “As the season got closer, I could tell we were coming together more, starting to get points toward the end of the league.
“We were all surprised when (Walters) left but we also knew something was going on when she brought a couple of new coaches on. Coach Meyer really stepped up a lot and it worked out to our advantage.
“I liked coach Meyer’s practices and how she led us into games,” Gooch added. “She had us take stats and cheer on the JV, helping to make us more of a team.”
The whirlwind of changes led the team down a rocky path to start as Greencastle lost its first seven matches, including the first two games at the Indian Creek Invitational.
In the final game of the day, however, the Tiger Cubs finally made a breakthrough, beating Bedford North Lawrence, a moment Gooch said helped relieve building tensions within the team.
“We were all definitely frustrated with all the losses,” Gooch said. “Once we started playing together, it got us a win.
“It was a big reaction. After all the losses, we were so excited to get that first win.”
Greencastle won five-straight games heading into the Putnam County Tournament, starting off with South Putnam, with the Eagles winning set one before the Tiger Cubs managed to claw their way to wins in sets two and three, setting up the final against North Putnam.
The Cougars got off to a blistering start, leading 9-2, before Greencastle rallied back to win the set 26-24, closing set quickly at 25-16 to win the county title.
“I liked it,” Gooch said, finishing the final with 12 kills. “I liked the competition, swinging back and forth.
“It made the win a better win. It meant a lot to win county this year as we won my freshman year but that was before I was playing varsity.”
A rematch with North Putnam came three weeks later and while Greencastle won the first two sets, the Cougars rallied and the Tiger Cubs couldn’t find a way to close the match out, falling in five sets.
It was a learning moment and a chance for the team to put things into perspective according to Gooch.
“It made us realize we had to push through after the second set,” Gooch pointed out. “We had to finish games.
“It made us want to win even more, especially against (North Putnam) at sectionals.”
As the final weeks of the season progressed, Gooch said the team continued to build cohesion and was being challenged in new ways by the coaching staff to improve ahead of sectional play.
“It kept getting better and better and it will continue to get better and better,” Gooch said about the team building work the squad did over the course of the final few weeks. “The practices we had late in the season were definitely different but they helped us become more prepared for the games we were about to play.
“My own performance got better. I started off very bad in the first couple of games, with errors and a negative hitting percentage, but it got better as the season went on.”
Greencastle and North Putnam met for the third time in the opening round of sectional play, a decisive third meeting that turned out to be a one-side match as the Tiger Cubs won 3-0, though a Cougar rally in the third set made things uncomfortable.
“It was definitely a big relief,” Gooch said about beating North Putnam and earning her first sectional win. “You start thinking it could be like the second game but you also don’t want to say that out loud.
“We had to win that third set or we might lose that game. It felt pretty good to win a sectional game.”
Greencastle defeated South Putnam 3-0 as well, leading to a sectional finals appearance against Southmont, who would go on to win the title 3-0 over the Tiger Cubs.
Though it was not the performance that everyone wanted, Gooch said it was still a great accomplishment getting to that point.
“I’m glad we made the sectional final,” Gooch said. “That was a goal we had set, to play Southmont in the final.
“We thought it would be closer but I’m just glad we were there.”
Although only finishing the season 15-16, Gooch said it was a great experience to be a part of the past four years.
“It was a good season to end on,” Gooch said. “We went as far as we could and it definitely was my strongest season.
“Playing volleyball for four years was the best four years of my life. I love the team and it’s going to be weird without it.
“In a team, you can have people around you that you can rely on,” Gooch added. “It’s not all on you to do everything.”
With only three seniors graduating and a strong, young nucleus to build around, Gooch had high hopes for the program heading into the future and said she hoped the team found ways to build off the experiences they had gone through in the 2022 season.
“I hope the girls can all have fun playing the game and don’t feel pressured,” Gooch said. “They’re not in a position where they’re trying to win county for the first time or win a sectional game for the first time.
“They’ve been to a sectional final now and hopefully they can build off of this in the future.”
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