New Castle Sweeps to Class 3A State Championship
After a 10-year gap, it took just over one hour for New Castle to return to the top of the heap at the Class 3A state final, beating upstart Brebeuf Jesuit, 25-11, 25-20, 25-15.
New Castle won the Class 4A title in 2007 and hadn’t qualified for a state final since. However, with only three seniors on the roster, it may not be the last for coach Matt Curtis’ Trojans.
Sophomore Zoe Conway opened sets one and three with an ace and the top-ranked Trojans (34-6) never trailed in either set.
Brebeuf, which has only two seniors on its roster, did put up a fight in set two, breaking out to a 6-2 lead and still led, 18-16. That’s when New Castle freshman Mabrey Shaffmaster stepped up, converting two kills to give her team a lead it didn’t relinquish.
Shaffmaster finished with 19 kills and a tremendous .630 hitting percentage, while her sophomore sister, Melani, added 13 kills and a .545 percentage. For the match, New Castle hit .494 as a team.
Talia Trabue led coach Brian Murray’s Braves, who entered the tournament unranked, with nine kills, while Abbey Richman recorded nine digs. Brebeuf finishes 29-10.
Grace Roudebush named Mental Attitude Award Winner
At the conclusion of the state finals, the IHSAA Executive Committee, on behalf of Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance, named Grace Roudebush of Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School as the winner of the Class 3A Mental Attitude Award.
Academically, Roudebush ranks sixth in her senior class with a 4.33 GPA, is a member of the National Honor Society and the Ignatian Scholars Program, the school’s academic/leadership/service program. She is also editor for the school yearbook and has been involved in a host of community service projects including Special Olympics and tutoring nearby elementary school students.
In addition to volleyball, she has been a four-year member of the school’s swimming and diving team and was a state finalist in the 200 freestyle relay last winter.
Grace is the daughter of Ryan and Claire Roudebush of Indianapolis and plans to study Molecular Biology and Neuroscience at Vanderbilt University.
Each year the IHSAA Executive Committee selects a senior player who was nominated by her principal and coach and was determined to have best demonstrated mental attitude, scholarship, leadership and athletic ability. Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance, presenting sponsor of the IHSAA Mental Attitude Award in Class 3A Volleyball, will donate $1,000 to Brebeuf Jesuit’s general scholarship fund in the name of Grace Roudebush.