Fall Sports Previews: Greencastle girls’ soccer ready to take charge of WIC; South Putnam, Cloverdale volleyball teams shuffle rosters with strong aims; Tiger Cub boys’ tennis looking to settle soon

A rebuild was required for the Tiger Cubs in 2021 but what was a down start turned into a red hot finish that nearly netted the program a WIC title.

Now, with an experienced squad bolstered by another large incoming freshman group, Greencastle will look to push on with head coach Scott Monnett noting the collective experience of the team has already allowed it to get up to speed sooner than ever.

“It was good,” Monnett said of the first two weeks of practice and summer workouts. “Because of the numbers in the summer and the athletes we have, our conditioning levels coming in were good and we really ramped things up in the first couple of weeks.

“We’ve done a lot of running, battled the heat and the intensity level is much higher at the start than in the past few years. Normally, we had to sort out where we were physically and other key areas coming out of the summer.”

Bella Monnett returns in goal after collecting five shutouts with coach Monnett pleased not only with her growth from the prior season but also those behind the junior in freshman Izzy Camara and sophomore Carly Simmons.

“I feel good about her in season two as a full time starter,” Monnett said about the goalkeeper. “She’s put in a lot of work, gotten taller and gotten stronger through the weight room.

“We have a couple of good backups in Carly and Izzy. They’re both playing for the first time but they’re both athletic and we feel good about the goalkeeper position.”

The three Tiger Cub seniors will be seen mostly in defense as Elise Lausee, Lilly Barnhart and Stephanie Morales return.

Juniors on the squad include Monnett, Penny Cummings, Evelyn Briones, Emma Smiley, Bailey Friars, Aleeyah Johnson, Riley Wainman, Carissa Trigg and Micah Cantonwine with sophomore Ali Dobbs, Kylie Silbert, Lauren Dibble, Laurel Brown, Zoey Doan, Hannah Hurst, Carly Simmons and Kyla Curtis and freshmen Claire Langdoc, Avah Johnson, Lilly Welch, Elise Dicharo, Charlie Martoglio, Eva Battin, Lexi Camara, Izzy Camera and Mariah Smallwood making up the squad.

“Our defense is the group where the most experience is,” Monnett said. “At times, we’ll have three seniors on the backline starting for us and they’re a very athletic and physical group.

“It’s a good foundation for us though we’ve moved some pieces around, which changes the way we’re turning defense into offense, how high were pressuring and where we press. Having experience back there really helps.

“There are some young players that will get some time and using Lauren, Bailey, Zoey and Kylie back there gives us a different look,” Monnett added. “This group has one of the highest soccer IQs I’ve had from top to bottom and even those coming in are understanding what we want to do.”

Dobbs will anchor the midfield with a wide range of options to aid in attack and defense according to Monnett.

“Obviously Ali will be in the center of the midfield, an area she played a lot with her club team and with more experience, she’ll continue to do a good job there,’ Monnett said. “Evelyn added thrust in the midfield last year and she and Ali work well together.

“Aliyah, Lauren and Micah add depth there while we have a stable of good wings in players like Riley and Carissa. Even the freshmen coming in are solid there, so we have a good rotation of players there and can move some pieces around.”

Goals were sometimes hard to come by in 2021 though Monnett said the wealth of attacking option across the front three meant that should be less of an issue in 2022.

“Last year, we had to manufacture so many goals with our speed and physicality,” Monnett said. “This year, we feel good about creating goal scoring opportunities, some we worked on a lot the first week of practice.

“I’m excited in terms of the players we have of front, a place where at times we can see Zoey, Evelyn, Carissa, Riley and Autumn, all of whom bring a lot to the table and we have high expectations of. Carissa and Autumn are freaky fast and can change direction well, which is good.

“Riley was injured midway through her first year and last year was a recovery year but she’s really coming on strong,” Monnett added. “Penny, Claire, Eva and Lilly are all girls that can also step in and make a difference.”

Along with a knowledgeable squad, Monnett said the overall strength and conditioning of the squad was much higher than before and credited the school’s various training programs for giving the athletes a leg up.

“I can’t praise the work of coach Andrew (Tirotta) enough,” Monnett said. “Our freshmen have been in the weight room since January and between that and our APC and advance PE students, we look different and are performing different.

“He will be a reason for a lot of our success our teams this fall and the rest of the year will have.”

Having just missed out on the conference title despite defeating the top two teams in the standings in West Vigo and Edgewood, Monnett said getting over the line was a goal that was very achievable, as well as having a better shot come the postseason after moving down to Class A for the next two years.

“The WIC will be interesting this year,” Monnett said. “I never like to get too high as we felt good about our 11 seniors a couple of years ago but we couldn’t get it pulled together in time.

“This group is extremely close; their off the field relationships are strong and they have a unique blend of talent while knowing what we want to do on the field. I’m excited about the conference as we could have finished top last year if we finished our business.

“This can be a unique year for us and I’m excited to see it.”

Volleyball

South Putnam

For what was supposed to be a season where it fell back after a 25-3 campaign in 2020, South Putnam did what it could not do the season prior by winning the Southmont Volleyball Sectional, a first for over three decades.

Following up on that will require the Eagles to retool the front lines as the top three kill leaders from last year are all gone, though head coach Ellen Cash said that was not deterring the girls early on.

“Practices have gone well,” Cash said. “The girls have had a fantastic attitude and are excited to practice and play.

“Right after tryouts, the other two coaches and I asked what they enjoyed about the summer workouts and tryouts the most; 90 percent of them said it was the vibe and the attitude all the girls on the team had. They’re excited, they all get along super well and work together really well.”

South Putnam has four seniors, though of the four only Kelsey Custis played varsity sets, with Taylor Hartley and Lainey Nolley returning from injury and Emmy Jeter moving up to varsity.

Joscelyn Pilcher likewise in the only one of three juniors to see significant varsity action with Peyton Freeman seeing spot time and Olivia Woolums playing in JV.

Chlara Pistelli and Danae Cline both return after featuring throughout last year with Lilly Emmerich and Madison Gardner joining the varsity roster as sophomores. Other members of the squad include sophomores Alexis Phillips and Emma Woodall and freshmen Rebekah Ramsey, Laylah Mullin, Laura Jane Switzer, Josey Helton, Katherine Kempf, Lilah Holderfield, Taylor Wagoner and Elizabeth Dobson.

Cash said while experience might be limited in some areas, the girls were putting things together quickly to build another strong squad.

“Emmy looked strong in the summer and in the first practices,” Cash said. “We’re excited to see what she’s going to bring; she’s a natural leader, great from a coaching standpoint, upbeat and encourages the rest of the girls, which lends itself to a lot of great things.

“Kelsey is doing some hitting and is knowledgeable in every aspect of the court. Peyton is playing on the weakside while Olivia is on the outside and Taylor can hit a bit as well, so we have a lot of options and our strength is how we’re fluid as the girls can do it all.

“We might not have a Marietta or Bree, girls who are super standouts, but as a team we are super strong together,” Cash added.

Moving Custis into a hitting role meant a change in rotation structure as Cash said Hartley and Pistelli would split ball handling duties.

“Taylor played two years ago as a setter and Chlara set a bit last year at the JV level,” Cash said. “We’ve moved them into setting roles and they’ve done beautifully.

“We like two setters, so playing a 6-2 plays to our advantage.”

Despite missing a very strong quarter in 2021 Putnam County Player of the Year Marietta McGinnis, Bree Miller, Chloe Pistelli and Sabrina Leonard, Cash said the group as a whole hadn’t lowered its expectations heading into 2022.

“We sat down with our varsity players and talked about goals, one of which for the seniors was to win another sectional title, something we told them is within their grasp,’ Cash said. “We have to look at what we’re coming up against but we’re glad they see that’s a possibility for them again.

“It would be wonderful to repeat in volleyball at South Putnam.”

Opening against Cloverdale Tuesday, Cash said the squad was still adjusting to new players and positions but expected the team to gel quickly and press forward as the season moves long.

“I see us being a well-oiled machine by the end of the season,” Cash said. “We’re filling in the gaps, somewhat scrappy and while we have hitters in the front row, we have a couple of girls that can hit well in the back row.

“We’re excited to see how far these girls can go. They’re not lamenting themselves; they have goals and what they want to achieve, something that will help them in the long run for sure.”

Cloverdale

Early in the 2021 season, the Clovers looked competitive, losing a pair of five-set matches, including to eventual Southmont Sectional champions South Putnam.

Coach Jim Spencer’s departure for health reasons turned the season on its head, however, and the Cloverdale team of the first week would not be seen again as the team crashed to a winless season.

Now under the helm of Paige Glassburn, the Clovers will be looking to steady the ship and get back in the win column during the 2022 season.

“The coaching change last year threw the girls for a loop,” Glassburn said. “Several of the girls really haven’t had a consistent coach here.

“I helped last year and the goal for this year is trying to get the girls back on track. We have a good group of girls here and I’m looking forward to how they work together. We’ve worked on rotations early on and the girls are coming along really well.”

Cloverdale has four seniors in Erin Johnson, Andrea Nees, Hailey Caulkins and Lillie Jones along with juniors Emily Mann, Yasmin Sorter, Chloe Meek and Keelie Price, sophomores Abby Hilton and Sophia Lively and freshmen Callee Smith and Jacie Neese on the varsity roster.

Other members of the squad include junior Madison Tantak, sophomore Ryleigh Secrest, freshmen Mikayla Schabel, Paisley Meyerrose, Payton Watkins, Emma Wynia, Reagan Harrison and Dakota Allee along with exchange students Isabell Schmidt, Ludovica Savoiani and Ilse Bouwmeester.

“We have four seniors as well as three exchange students, the latter all starting on JV as they couldn’t start practice until the first day of school,” Glassburn noted. “We’re excited to see those four come together and while Andrea will be out for a bit, we’re hoping to get her back soon.”

While light on experienced players, Glassburn said there were still plenty of girls ready to step up to the varsity lineup.

“A couple of the girls who played last year that are now juniors and sophomores will be stepping up, especially in the back row,” Glassburn said. “We have an all-around good squad.

“Lillie will be setting for us after missing out on last year with an injury. Keelie is doing really well while we’ve had to pull up a few girls to help us out with Anrea’s injury and most of the girls are doing full rotation right now.”

One area Glassburn said the team had to be better at was getting the ball to the setter better, especially with a squad that isn’t as big up front as in years prior.

“Last year, when I was helping, I noticed we struggled with our passing and have worked on that since the summer,” Glassburn said. “We are a shorter team, so we have to play scrappy and be hard to beat on defense.

“While we don’t have the height we’d like, we have a couple of good hitters and our offense will come along. Our strong suit right now is our defense.”

The biggest initial hurdle for the Clovers to clear will be to get a win early after struggling the past two season though Glassburn said trying to force things would not make the win come faster as the goal was to build up steadily and make things happen at the end of the year.

“We talked to the girls about taking it one game at a time,” Glassburn said. “This is all new for all of us and the girls know that.

“We need to focus our time on us and go from there. We’re hoping to get a win early but we’re going to have to pull together to achieve that goal.

“That said, we’re hoping all the work the girls put in this summer will help them pull of a win in the first couple of weeks,” Glassburn added .“I’ve helped coach a lot of these girls even in middle school and they’re hard workers who have a lot of potential.

“If we develop well and see a lot of improvement, by sectional time, I can see us getting some wins under our belt and going to get that title.”

Boys’ Tennis

Greencastle

The Tiger Cub boys’ tennis team reached a sectional final last season but were unable to add a fifth title to the trophy room and will have to reconfigure a lineup that has numerous vacancies after the 2021 season.

Greencastle will start with Eli Callahan, Andrew Adams, Jay Glotzbach, Dorian Dowd, Blaine Barger, Paul Lewis, Joel Hammond and Justin Evans in the varsity lineup with head coach Annette Munoz noting the lineup was not set in stone by any stretch.

“We have probably four players that could fill the top spots playing singles and doubles,” Munoz said. ‘We will ahve more challenge matches this week, though we do have a lineup set for (Monday) with Eli at No. 1 singles, Andrew at No. 2 singles and Jay at No. 3 singles.”

Part of the issue was that a chain of paper-rock-scissor results meant no single player had emerged to cement the top of the lineup according to Munoz.

“We have some players that are more consistent, some that have more strength on their serve and some that have more agility,” Munoz said. “At different times, those strengths come through.

“We had a lot of surprises in our challenge matches. We have results for the first match but things were close and I need to see things a multiple times to solidify the lineup.”

While the singles lineup had some varsity experience, the same could not be said of those making up the doubles teams.

“Right now, our entire set of doubles are first time varsity players,” Munoz said. “Dorian is a second year player, as is Blaine, the latter who will play with Justin Monday.

“Joel and Paul are at No. 2 doubles as first-time varsity players. Our singles players are returning but out of position and our doubles teams have a fresh start Monday, so effectively we have a whole new lineup.”

While still sorting out several items, Munoz said the squad still had plenty of upside and said with plenty of work had the potential to be in the mix for a sectional title again.

“We definitely have a lot of potential but we have to bring our best in every match to be as competitive as we want to be,” Munoz said. “As a varsity team, we are young and inexperienced and will be facing some tough teams, so we have to find a way versus having a set process.

“I feel that we could be at .500 or better as long as the effort I see at practice comes to matches and beyond.”