Delaney Barrett serving a spicy addition to complement impressive volleyball attack that takes 7-1 record on the road to Lake Central on Thursday

Tom Keegan
Onwardtrojans.com

As a sophomore volleyball player, Chesterton’s Delaney Barrett realizes she has a lot of improvement ahead of her in many areas, but she already does at least one thing better than most seniors.
Hint: The same word that applies to her brother, the senior left-handed pitcher for Coach John Bogner’s baseball team, captures what she does best on the volleyball court.
Give up?
Ace.
Troy is the ace of the pitching staff and through Tuesday night’s 3-0 win over LaPorte, Delaney was the team leader in service aces (19). Her jump serve drops off the table at the last instant in much the same way her brother’s curveball does.
“Most of the time you can tell if it’s going to be a good just by the contact on your hand, but sometimes it surprises you,” Barrett said. “If you think it’s a bad one and it’s a good one, it’s a pretty nice feeling.”
Barrett sent credit the way of last season’s Chesterton JV coach and head boys coach, Kevin Lebaj, for helping her to refine her serve. He’s now head coach of the LaPorte girls team. She used it against him in helping the Trojans to defeat the Slicers 25-22, 25-22, 25-16 Tuesday night on the road.
Barrett had seven digs and two aces.
“Delaney has a really good beeline serve,” head coach Lindsay Nibert said. “I’m so excited to see where she is in the rankings at the end of the season.”
Tenley Davis hit at a 59.5 rate to lift her season percentage to a salty 47.1. She has been the team’s most consistent all-around performer and leads the team with 80 digs. She leads in ways that extend beyond statistics as well, according to Barrett.
“I love Tenley,” Barrett said. “She’s so nice. Ever since I was on this team she’s always been the one I’ve gone to when I’m feeling down.”
Nibert wants her liberos, Barrett and senior Ryliegh Connor, to project an upbeat confidence.
“They’re so one and the same, one’s just a little more confident and vocal (Connor) and the other (Barrett) has more of a silent confidence,” Nibert said. “I would like to see them take charge, even if they’re standing next to Luca or Tenley. Luca and Tenley are amazing players, but I want our liberos to be the captains of the back row.”
Nobody had to remind graduated Cassie Lange to take charge. It was what she did best. Her departure motivated Barrett to make big offseason improvements.
“I put a lot of work in over the summer and the previous club season,” Barrett said. “I knew some shoes had to be filled with Cassie leaving. I just made sure I put my work in and focused on the small things.”
Barrett and others let some dump shots hit the floor as the Slicers made a comeback from way behind to make the first set competitive and similar problems in the second set, then in the third found a way to cover spots in the middle of the floor that weren’t covered consistently in the first two sets.
“We made an adjustment. It’s nice to see that change happen in mid-game and not have to wait to go to the drawing table in practice,” Nibert said. “We’ll work on it there, too, but it’s nice to see them make those adjustments in live action.”
That can only help Barrett’s confidence, which Nibert expects will grow as the season progresses because she loves to play the game and works at it.
“I like the adrenaline rush, and I like that your team can get so close, so fast, and I just love a fast-paced sport,” she said.
But it’s not easy.
“I would say the hardest thing is trying to stay out of your head after making mistakes, especially in serve receive,” Barrett said. “It’s easy to get down on yourself, and the hardest thing is to come back from that. But as long as you have a good support system with your team, it’s not terrible.”
Chesterton’s standing in the DAC grew in each of the first three seasons with Davis on the team and Nibert as head coach, the past two with dynamic hitter Luca Bombacino joining Davis in pleasing crowds with high-velocity kills.
The Trojans went 6-8 in Davis’ freshman season, 8-6 in her sophomore year and 10-4 last season. Improving on that record will require the Trojans doing something they haven’t done yet in the Davis-Nibert era: Defeat Lake Central and/or Crown Point.
The Trojans went 25-10 overall and won their first sectional since 1977, but still didn’t score a win over the top two DAC teams.
The first of four opportunities to do that comes Thursday at Lake Central. Chesterton brings a 7-1, 1-0 in the DAC record into the match, the only loss coming in a best-of-three match vs. season-opening tournament host Crown Point. LC is 5-2, 1-0, the only losses coming vs. Lafayette Harrison and Brownsburg at the best-of-three Crown Point tournament.
The dates for the other three matches vs. CP and LC: Sep. 4, home vs. CP; Sep. 23, home vs. LC, Sep. 30 at Crown Point.