When Cami Kelsay was a freshman at Franklin, she wasn’t sure what her athletic future would hold. Though she made an immediate varsity impact in both volleyball and track, she wasn’t sure whether she would end up being able to play either in college.
As her focus shifted more and more toward volleyball, Kelsay began to create a lot of options for herself.
Her breakthrough over the past several months has not only landed the senior a Division I college scholarship, but it also helped sustain a Grizzly Cubs team that featured both a largely inexperienced lineup and a first-year head coach.
For her efforts, Kelsay is the Daily Journal’s Player of the Year.
The statistics illustrate very clearly how important Kelsay was to the Grizzly Cubs. She finished the season with 446 kills, more than double what any other Franklin player had, and her .291 hitting percentage was also a team high.
Kelsay also excelled in the back row, finishing second on the squad with 263 digs and 51 service aces. But perhaps just as importantly, the four-year starter made it a point to serve as a beacon for a roster that had numerous players stepping into bigger roles for the first time.
“Just being a senior and having that goal for myself to be a leader on the team,” Kelsay said. “I think that I really stepped up in practices and in games, supporting my team if they make a bad play or when they do good things too.”
Franklin had its ups and downs as a team this fall, but it still managed to return to both the county and sectional championship matches yet again. In the latter, the Grizzly Cubs were on the brink of defeating Center Grove for the first time before falling in five sets.
Kelsay finished her final match with 25 kills and a career-high 27 digs.
Though the end result was disappointing, Kelsay was still proud of the way that she and her teammates played in her final high school match.
“I basically said before the game, ‘Give it all you have, because if we’re going to lose, then you know we went out playing as hard as we could,’ and I think that’s what we did,” she said.
Fortunately for Kelsay, she’s got more volleyball left to play. Though she dubbed herself a “late bloomer” who didn’t get as much recruiting attention as others in her class until recently, she started to draw more notice with her play this year both at the club level and at Franklin.
Earlier this week, she verbally committed to play at Jacksonville University in Florida, where she’ll compete in the Atlantic Sun Conference against the likes of former Grizzly Cub teammate Brooke Phillips, who is now a redshirt freshman at Lipscomb.
Kelsay credits first-year Franklin coach Jess Giles and her club coaches at Rev Volleyball Academy with helping her to realize her potential and get her a shot to play in college.
“(Giles) really cared about getting me to that next level,” Kelsay said, “and she wanted me to play at that next level, so she was pushing me.”
The talent was always there. This fall, under the most challenging set of circumstances she’s faced in her young athletic career, Kelsay put it all together.
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The 2020 All-County team for volleyball:
Grace Boggess, Center Grove senior: An All-MIC and IHSVCA second-team all-state pick who finished with 409 kills and 83 blocks in the middle for the sectional champs … Signed to play with Butler next fall.
Katie Egenolf, Center Grove junior: A dominant hitter who put down a team-high 427 kills despite missing several matches … Added 177 digs, 30 blocks and 25 aces … All-MIC and second-team IHSVCA all-state.
Cami Kelsay, Franklin senior: Led the Grizzly Cubs with 446 kills and a .291 hitting percentage while also contributing 263 digs, 51 aces and 33 blocks … Will play at Jacksonville University next year.
Ava McClanahan, Indian Creek junior: Put together an outstanding all-around season, leading the Braves with 265 kills and 73 blocks while adding 221 digs and 29 aces.
Rylie McMahen, Center Grove senior: Stepped into the libero role and pulled up a team-high 381 digs while also serving up 52 aces … All-MIC selection who has signed to play at Winthrop next fall.
Jenna Otto, Center Grove senior: Excelled in her first year as the starting setter, collecting 1,073 assists, 203 digs, 41 aces and 28 blocks while helping the Trojans to league and sectional titles.
Izzy Reed, Greenwood Christian senior: Totaled 500 kills and 154 digs, going over 1,000 in both categories for her career … All-district pick also led the Cougars with 69 service aces.
Honorable mention
Jenna Armstrong, Greenwood; Mya Ayro, Greenwood; Brooklyn Bell, Greenwood; Carly Cowan, Edinburgh; Gracie Crawhorn, Edinburgh; Anna Cruser, Greenwood; Chloe Eastburn, Whiteland; Melia Gorrell, Greenwood; Siena Halfaker, Greenwood; Jessie Hart, Indian Creek; Makena Hogue, Indian Creek; Avery Holubar, Center Grove; Chloe Hoy, Franklin; Kaitlyn Kennedy, Center Grove; Taryn Kennedy, Center Grove; Scarlett Kimbrell, Franklin; Grace Meluskey, Whiteland; Kennedi Morrison, Whiteland; Riley Ratliff, GCA; Lauren Sandrock, Franklin; Mayah Schundelmier, GCA; Sarah Scott, Whiteland; Hannah Smith, Indian Creek; Jessica Walsh, Edinburgh; Faith Wiseman, Indian Creek
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