MUNCIE – Taylor Harman isn’t sure if Burris is “back.” The Owls’ senior volleyball player isn’t certain the Owls were ever a non-factor in the East Central Indiana volleyball scene.
Burris is coming off a win against Alexandria on Tuesday that delivered its first regional title in four years. Burris has won 22 state titles in its history (more than double any other school) and is two matches away from making another trip to state for the first time since winning its last title in 2010. It will compete in the Class 2A Bremen Semistate at 11 a.m. Saturday, facing Hammond Bishop Noll in the semifinals.
“We’re a strong team,” Harman said. “I think Burris never really left, I think our program was just building. It was building years. And I think if you want to say ‘we’re back,’ sure. But I don’t think Burris ever really left, we just had some years where we had to build up again.”
The Owls lost in sectionals in both 2011 and 2012, but both defeats came against Wapahani as the Raiders went on to win consecutive Class 2A state titles.
Burris won a sectional title last season, then took the first two sets of its 2013 regional match. But Madison-Grant charged back to pick up a five-set win. Burris had no such trouble on Tuesday, winning the first two sets against No. 2 Alexandria and then closing out the sweep.
“It was such a disappointment to us, the players and everybody else who I’m sure watched,” senior Emily Brinkman said of last year’s match. “So it was really great this year to come out and be able to have the determination to be able to close it out in three.”
The Owls are 18-16 this year, so the 2014 season hasn’t been without its difficulties. At one point, both Brinkman, the Owls’ setter, and Taylor Kring, her most prominent hitter, were out with injuries. Both have since returned.
Coach John Rodriguez is convinced that stretch was critical to the Owls’ win Tuesday. Playing without those two players, Rodriguez watched his team become a more balanced offense, and Brinkman was able to pick up valuable insight into the abilities of other hitters from the sideline.
Despite playing just three sets, Harman, Anna Bilello, Alyssa Peters and Kring each had at least eight kills against Alexandria.
“It was very difficult, but it’s the only way we could have accomplished a balanced offense, which helped us (Tuesday),” Rodriguez said about the injury stretch. “We’ve been one-dimensional and we had to get some people involved. And (Tuesday) was a good example, it was a good stat sheet.”
The Burris team was present for the 2013 state title matches, though the Owls weren’t playing. There were no teams from Delaware County in any of the matches, and fans and players from Delaware County were scarce in the crowd. But the Owls were among the few.
Rodriguez encouraged his players to attend, and he took his players to the top of the Worthen Arena stands to give them a talk that day. He wanted them to covet the idea of being there themselves this season.
That vision could be realized on Saturday.
“It was a shame to not see us on the court playing,” Brinkman said. “But if anything, it just made me more determined this year to come out and prove that we deserve to be on that floor at Worthen Arena for state. So it just kind of fed my desire.”
Contact prep sports reporter Sam Wilson at (765) 213-5807. Follow him on Twitter @SamWilsonTSP.
ECI Volleyball Semistates
All matches Saturday
Class 2A Bremen Semistate
• Hammond Bishop Noll vs. Burris, 11 a.m.
• Adams Central vs. Southwood, 12:30 p.m.
• Championship match, 6 p.m.
Class A Caston Semistate
• Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian vs. Pioneer, 11 a.m.
• Lafayette Central Catholic vs. Wes-Del, 12:30 p.m.
• Championship match, 7 p.m.