Hearing she’s “D1” on the loudspeaker and defeating Valparaiso all on the same night makes for a memorable day for junior volleyball player Maddie Gilliam, headed to Butler University on a full ride

Tom Keegan
Onwardtrojans.com

Madison Gilliam, junior middle blocker for Chesterton’s 12-2 volleyball team, is having quite the week.
Monday: Butler University head volleyball coach Kyle Shondell called her and offered a full athletic scholarship. She screamed, cried and accepted.
Tuesday: Gilliam and teammates defeated chief rival Valparaiso in straight sets, 25-15, 25-18, 25-15.
Now Gilliam has her heart set on helping the Trojans to defeat Crown Point, which visits Chesterton on Thursday night. If the Trojans pull it off on their home court, it would end a 34-match losing streak to the Bulldogs.
“We are really excited,” Gilliam said. We have the kind of mindset that we’re going to go in with unfinished business and we’re confident we can beat them.”
Gilliam’s commitment gives Chesterton three Div. I recruits on the roster. Senior Tenley Davis committed to Loyola of Chicago heading into her junior season, and junior Luca Bombacino committed to Michigan this past June.
Gilliam, who did not make her varsity debut until the eighth game of her sophomore season and played for the freshman team the year before that, is the late bloomer of the trio.
Gilliam’s long arms give her a reach advantage over most players her height and she is an explosive jumper. She said she is excited that the plan is to redshirt her as a freshman, which will extend her stay at Butler by a year.
Gilliam attended Butler’s prospect camp on June 15 and has built a relationship on the phone with the staff since then. Her official visit to the Indianapolis campus is scheduled for Oct. 10.
“On the call Coach Shandell said, ‘Hey, I have a secret to tell you.’ I said, ‘What’s up? I want to hear this.’ ‘I can’t wait until October, so I’m just going to say it straight out that we want you here on a full ride.’ There were a lot of tears and screaming,” Gilliam said. “My dad yelled, and I started screaming and crying.”
Gilliam shared a thrill from the sweep of Valparaiso on Tuesday, saying “hearing ‘She’s D1’ for the first time was very satisfying. … I’m so happy. I feel like I’ve been working really hard. This is a weight off my shoulders, especially with it being a full ride. I was not expecting to get a full ride to Butler.”
Gilliam ranks 20th in the state with 32 blocks. In kills, Davis is fifth in the state (165) and Bombacino is seventh (160). Davis also ranks ninth with a .348 hitting percentage. Sophomore Delaney Barrett ranks 21st in 4A with 30 services aces.