MaxPreps Indiana Team of the Week: Roncalli girls volleyball

Roncalli (Indianapolis) girls volleyball coach Missy Marsh knew she had a special group heading into the 2014 season.

But 34-3 special? Top ranking in Indiana extraordinary? Section championship match sweep special?

"I definitely did not see this much success coming," Marsh said. "I don't know if any coach could see that. My staff and I knew this would be a special group with so much potential. We knew them so well because our team did not change much from the year before, so we knew what type of athletes we had coming back.

"We added Samantha Fogg and A.J. Lux who have proven to be great additions both in play and chemistry on the floor. These girls are very driven and know how to effectively practice. They want to still be playing."

And they are. Following a 26-28, 25-18, 25-23, 25-20 4A Regional win over Columbus East on Tuesday, the Rebels play Avon in Semi-State on Saturday.

They enter with 23 wins in their last 24 matches, and all but five have been by sweep.

For their breakthrough season under Marsh, the Rebels are the MaxPreps Indiana Team of the Week, presented by the Indiana Army National Guard.

With seven seniors and four juniors, all but two of which played on last year's 22-11 team, Roncalli is a very cohesive group, Marsh said.

"They feel very comfortable with one another," she said. "These young ladies have played at high levels of volleyball and know how to compete. We are very athletic. We may not always be the tallest of teams, but we are fast, we have very good ball control, and serving, passing and floor defense are big strengths of ours."

Heading into the week, they were lead offensively by Bailey Schnell with 373 kills, followed by Kalyn Schreiber (265), McKenna Lundy (183) and Annie Strevals (110).

Six girls have between 20-28 aces, led by Olivia Gillum and Schnell with 28 apiece. Fogg has a whopping 471 digs to lead the team, though Schnell (321) and Kenzie King (329) are both over 300. Senior setter King is one of the state leaders in assists with 931.

Asked about Schnell, Fogg and King, Marsh said: "All three are tremendous athletes and all three are as competitive as they come. They would rather fight you than lose to you.

"Bailey is a four-year starter, who has worked to become a six-rotation player. She can score against the biggest blocks in the state.

"Kenzie plays a thousand times bigger than what she measures. She will go toe-to-toe at the net with anyone. She is a very smart player who reads the court well and can run an effective fast-paced offense.

"Sam is new to us but runs the back row. She flies around that floor and works to better the ball continually. She reads hitters, passes consistently and plays remarkable floor defense."

This is Marsh's fourth season and, after a couple of mediocre seasons at 13-12 and 15-17, the team improved to 22-11 last season. The Rebels took another huge step forward this year and hope to add a fourth state title to the program's resume.

They've won one in each of the previous three decades: 1981, 1998 and 2006. Marsh thinks the Rebels have the ability to win a fourth, but there are many strong teams standing in the way.

"We have the physical ability and are mentally tough enough to hang with any team," she said. "At this point in the season it comes down to minimizing mistakes and capitalizing on given opportunities. These young ladies play calm and can have fun, so if they remain relaxed and continue to execute they have a chance."