The numbers over the past two years for Bloomington South's volleyball program are extraordinary, and the Panthers are ready to keep piling up more.
Start with the Panthers' 56 wins, the best run in school history thanks to the prodigious production from its senior class of Everly Clark, Quinn Reynolds, Maya Jackson, Emma Younger, Harper Rahn and Neely Warner.
Offensively, South has recorded 2,251 kills and 667 aces. And defensively, they've notched 301 blocks and 2,413 digs.
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Things started to change when Emma Abplanalp took over the program three years ago. The first year had its struggles, but this group was too good and worked too hard to keep down for long.
More "we" than "me" became the manta, and the Panthers turned four straight years of losing records into a sectional title last year. But there was one more step to take and it's a rare regional title that South (28-2) will be after this Saturday, Oct. 24 when it takes on Columbus East (14-16) at Bloomington North at 4 p.m.
With so many weapons along the net, the individual milestones may be hard to get (1,000 career kills for instance) but it also has the Panthers on the cusp of breaking the school record for wins (28) set by Georgia Tidd's 1977 squad and tied by last year's team.
Clark leads the charge with 644 kills, 163 aces, 73 blocks and 493 digs, with Reynolds not far behind with 570 kills, 111 aces, 125 blocks and 429 digs. Maya Jackson chimes in with 195 kills and 54 blocks. Emma Younger, who missed a month of the season, still has 167 kills, 103 aces and 93 blocks. And Werner, the libero, has 552 digs.
Junior Lily Reinhart has made herself into a fifth threat in that same span with 441 kills, 94 aces, 51 blocks and 219 digs.
If any group can break the regional curse, it's this one. Certainly, the Panthers want more, but sometimes, it's a process. It's eluded South since, you guessed it, 1977, but the last three regional semifinal draws in 2017-18 and last year were not forgiving — Castle (twice) and Providence, two southern Indiana powerhouses.
"Castle is a winning team, and they know how to win," Abplanalp said after last year's regional loss. "And that's an advantage. We don't know how to win. So, it's building that culture of winning. ... We're hungry for it, and it shows us that we're capable of this play and we should be here again."
And here they are. The challenge this year is to beat the Olympians. Pass that test, and a likely rematch with powerhouse Center Grove awaits at semi-state. But first things first.
Columbus East is a bit of a surprise opponent, having lost to Bloomington South, North and Columbus North while ending the regular season on a 1-5 skid. They've seen some other tough teams in Floyd Central, Jasper, Roncalli and Providence.
The Olympians run a 6-2 as well and the offense is led by 6-foot outside Addyson Dean (367 kills), with three others at just over 100 kills but each with half as many swings as Dean. She has 40 blocks, second to sophomore Emma Armstrong (60).
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Seniors ready to leave lasting legacy on Bloomington South volleyball