By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – All climbs launch from a common point – the bottom. Bedford North Lawrence started there last season, determined to ascend, like the Dark Knight escaping the Pit without the aid of a rope. The Stars did rise, an impressive scaling of the walls of adversity.
Now the question is: how high can they go? BNL lost only one senior from a squad that went 12-12 (just one win shy of matching the total of the three previous years combined) after starting the season with seven straight wins. That changes the trajectory and the expectations.
With a veteran cast, with a second-year head coach who has settled into the role, the Stars are headed in the right direction for the 2025 campaign. There’s quiet optimism, there’s talent at the key spots, there’s experience. Those are ladder rungs leading to a higher plain.
“If it all comes together, it will be fun volleyball to watch,” BNL coach Aaron Wagoner said. “We saw a lot of improvements last year, although it got tougher as the year went on. We learned a lot. We had moments where some really big games felt like they were within reach.”
The spotlight will shine on four seniors who have suffered through the difficult times. Sammie Gratzer, Trinidy Bailey, Suttyn Alvey and Sara Williams bring a unique skill set to the court.
“Our seniors are really good players at their positions,” Wagoner said. “Sammie is a fantastic hitter up front, and she has just scratched the surface. Trinidy is an excellent passer, Suttyn is really disciplined on defense and she’s consciously soaking in instruction. Sara has become a solid libero, she’s really taking that on.
“We have some young kids who have pushed themselves and really gotten better, if they all play to their strengths.”
The rest of the roster will include junior Jenna Allen plus sophomores Isabella Root, Lily Scott and Adalynn Bailey – who all logged valuable minutes last season. They will get some help from junior Ellie Nubbie and promising freshman Lexie Ritter. Now the key will be determining the best rotation and mix for success on the floor.
”The team has to be together,” Wagoner said. “If they don’t work together, they can fracture and underachieve. We’re focusing a lot on passing. That’s a fundamental thing. If you can’t serve and pass, you’re not going to win. Passing runs everything. If you have passing, you can run good attacks. If not, it’s a boring offense.“
BNL surprised some opponents last season. That will probably not happen again. The Hoosier Hills Conference is historically loaded with talent, the sectional is a brutal test, so matching last year’s win total – or even climbing past it – will be an ambitious goal.
“We play a lot of good opponents,” Wagoner said. “Our conference is extremely difficult, and the sectional. Competing for those things is a challenge and uphill climb.
”We have to push ourselves. These girls need to see high-level competition, they have to know what they need to play up to, know that they can play with them. So it will be interesting. At the end, we might have a worse record. But if we’ve played higher competition and competed better, I don’t care. It’s not always about records.”
The Stars will open the regular season at Mitchell on Aug. 19.
