Shayleigh Shriver leads a senior-heavy Valley volleyball team into 2018. (File photo by James Costello)

AKRON – It’s go time for Shayleigh Shriver. And the eight other seniors on the Tippecanoe Valley volleyball squad.

The future is now for a group that has literally grown up in the program, and for Shriver, just the group she wants to go to battle with this fall. Shriver enters her fourth year of varsity service for the team and has their sights set on big things.

“Our goals are the obvious ones of win conference, win sectional, you know, beat Rochester our rival,” Shriver said moments before the team held its alumni game earlier in the month. “The friendship that we all have off the court helps us on the court. The communication, the hard work. What makes this group special is that we are motivated, we are loud, we are hyped up. If someone isn’t in the gym at 6 a.m. for workouts, we are on the phone texting them telling them to get here. We’ve become that community in this program.”

Regardless of the outcome this year, Shriver will go down in Valley volleyball history with one of the more unique records. An unthinkable 25 straight service points put Shriver in the record books for consecutive points in a 2016 match against Culver. Another streak that Shriver and company are eyeing, however, is to start one in a row – a sectional title – that is.

A 22-win season might be worth celebrating for many programs. Not at Valley, where a first-round out in the sectional to eventual champion Fairfield left the team far short of its goal, still chasing after the program’s first championship. Best believe it has bothered the ultra-competitive Shriver and her teammates.

“It’s making sure that our attitudes are in check and we are still having fun when the tournaments come along,” Shriver said. “If we stay prepared for each game, one at a time, and don’t start worrying about games two and three weeks away, we should be fine.”

Added head coach Mallory Eaton of Shriver and the eight other seniors that have basically been playing together in her program since sixth grade, “I have goose bumps just thinking about it. They are like my kids. This is the first group when I started the feeder program when I was a JV coach. I’ve had them the entire way. What’s crazy is that we started with a group of 10. We lost one their freshman year, but it’s not often anywhere in any sport that they all stay.”

Shriver led the team with 62 aces and 199 total service points scored last season while adding 223 digs and 158 kills, showing versatility on both lines. Sophie Bussard was far and away the best hammer for the team with 343 kills. Her ability to play big at the net produced 53 blocks, and she dug 276 attempts and flew 32 aces. While teams will likely key on Bussard, the team’s top junior in Makenzie Woodcox recorded 187 kills and 55 blocks in the middle. Woodcox, at 6-2, is the tallest player on Valley’s side of the net.

The senior class also has the likes of Amy Baca (83 kills, 36 blocks, 31 digs) and Hannah Jansma (132 kills, 67 digs, 22 aces) among its floor leaders.

Eaton will have two major voids to fill, one in the graduation of libero Olivia Trippiedi, and the transfer of Emily Peterson, who led the team in assists (721). Eaton noted there will be a rotation of setters to start the season as they run different sets, seeing who fits in best.

“The nice thing with this group is that I have so much depth, I’m dressing 18 for varsity and nine of those are seniors,” noted Eaton.

Eaton sees the Three Rivers Conference as a very attainable championship before chasing the elusive sectional title. With champion Rochester graduating key players and a pair of talented players transferring out of North Miami, the door is open for Valley to climb from fourth to the penthouse. From there, the sectional tournament comes to Valley, where the Vikings are ready to make some history.

“We have had kids in the gym grinding, it’s really been impressive,” Eaton said. “I think they are so set on the goal of conference and sectional, they don’t care who gets the glory. They’ve all wanted to win titles so bad, those girls want to get a volleyball banner up in this gym. They are dying to win a sectional championship.”