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Alexa Stiff to add to Pomeroy firepower on volleyball court next season
The first signing for the class of 2024 came just days into September.
While many seniors are still in early stages of deciding where to commit their academic and potential athletic futures, North Putnam’s Alexa Stiff will not have to worry about the process after signing on to play volleyball at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods for the 2024-25 school year.
“Saint Mary’s has a really great volleyball program,” Stiff said. “Last year, they went 26-6 and this year they’ve started out 10-1. It’s been a pretty good season to start.
“I went and watched them earlier; the energy is amazing and the team is really good. There’s a lot of competition they face but I’m excited to see it.”
Stiff added the campus size had a similar feel to North Putnam in that it was both small and tucked away from a large city presence.
“It’s a hidden gem outside of Terre Haute,” Stiff said. “It’s a small campus that’s very pretty; they have a lot of small monuments around the campus.
“I want to study nursing. I’m not for sure what sort of nursing quite yet.”
The Pomeroys have exploded into life on the volleyball courts after the arrival of Ashley and Ian Harris, the former in charge of the women’s program while the latter is an assistant and head coach of the men’s program.
“The coaches came in from (Berea College) in Kentucky in 2021 and won a (NCCAA) national championship the same year,” Stiff said. “They’ve had some great success the past few years and I’m really excited.
“They see me fitting in as a DS or libero.”
Stiff said juggling high school and club ball during the year meant she was used to being busy all the time, a trait that would help in adjusting to college life.
“Coming into college, I’m used to handling a lot of time in the gym and working on schoolwork outside of school while still playing club ball,” Stiff said. “I’m usually gone every weekend, playing in tournaments all year, so it will be similar in that sense.
“Being away from my parents will be a change but I am close enough that I can come over.”
Committing this early in the year also means that the pressure that comes with recruiting is now gone with Stiff adding the commitment made much of the work done in the summer worthwhile in the end.
“It really takes a lot of pressure off my shoulders,” Stiff said about committing early in the school year. “I had been putting a lot of work in, going to camps all summer and doing a lot of things like getting tours in and thinking about class sizes.
“There’s a lot that goes into it but it helps a lot that I got it done early. I also think I made a great decision in the end.”
With two thirds of the volleyball season still to go, putting on the blue and white Pomeroy colors is still a ways away but Stiff said she is eager to get going once the time came.
“Even right now, I’m very excited to be going to Saint Mary’s,” Stiff said. “Especially after being on the campus, taking my tour and watching them play in their Showdown in the Woods Invitational.
“After watching that, my excitement has gone through the roof. Once it gets to springtime and it gets a little more real, it’ll really settle in and I’ll be ready.”