Morgan Hash will continue her volleyball career at Georgia State University.
Yet her time as a starting middle blocker for Franklin Community High School doesn’t conclude until the Grizzly Cubs’ season does.
Best-case scenario has that being in early November.
Projected as an outside hitter at Georgia State, an NCAA Division I program in downtown Atlanta, Hash would prefer to remain a middle blocker for another few weeks.
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Through sectional. Through regional. And just maybe — emphasis on maybe — through semistate.
A four-year starter for the Class 4A Cubs, the 6-foot-3 senior has accumulated 820 kills and 147 blocks since the beginning of her sophomore season.
She began her high school career as an outside hitter but has lined up at middle blocker the past three seasons.
“For our purposes this year we need her to play middle for us to keep a balanced offense,” said second-year Cubs coach Travis Gabehart, whose squad brings a 28-5 record to the court tonight against Franklin Central at the Center Grove Sectional.
“Morgan has a tremendous ability to be the go-to person, the leader, on the court and off the court,” Gabehart said. “I would say she’s the central hub to this team. People look up to her, and not just because of her height.”
Much of this can be attributed to Hash getting it done in the classroom.
Her 4.29 grade-point average is good for a No. 8 ranking in Franklin’s senior class. She will major in nursing at Georgia State.
Hash said the University of South Alabama, located in Mobile on the Gulf of Mexico, also was a possibility. Within a week’s time she visited both campuses and has had Georgia on her mind ever since.
“I just fell in love with Georgia State. It’s funny because when I visited, I was like, ‘Oh, I’ll visit, but I don’t think I’ll like it because it’s downtown,’” Hash said. “After I left I could not shut up about it. The city just offers a lot of opportunities, and the coaches and players were just great.
“I think I’ll probably be homesick for the first semester, but I’m excited to kind of get away. I have family in Georgia, too.”
Franklin owns an overall record of 106-29 with Hash on varsity.
Always tall (she stood 6-foot as a ninth-grader), Hash has matured physically as well as emotionally to become the kind of player she is today.
“Morgan has kind of grown into her body and become stronger,” Gabehart said. “Just overall a better athlete, able to move quicker. She has a tremendous jump serve, so for her size her athleticism has really grown over the past couple of years.”
With the arrival of the postseason, the Cubs will lean heavily on Hash’s leadership qualities as well as her skills.
“Morgan just has that spirit about her that people follow her,” Gabehart said. “Her ability to lead the team in the right direction is probably the best thing I’ve seen about her this season. And when Morgan turns it on, that’s when we’re playing our best.
“When she’s being positive and vocal, good things happen for us.”
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THE HASH FILE
Name: Morgan Hash
Age: 18
Born: Franklin, IN
Family: Parents, Mark and Sherri; sisters, Lexi, 19, and Jenna, 11
Favorite TV show: “Grey’s Anatomy”
Favorite food: Seafood
Favorite athlete: Destinee Hooker
Favorite team: Indianapolis Colts
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