Jimtown High School

Jimmy v-ballers ready to hit the court By Red Williams Freelance Sportswriter ELKHART - A conference championship is a top priority for Jimtown High School’s volleyball squad, according to new head coach Colleen Herrity. The Jimmies were sectional champions a year ago, but placed third in the Indiana Northern State Conference with a 3-2 mark. They were 14-19 overall. The Jimmies open their new campaign at South Bend Riley Thursday (8.13.26), and their home opener is Tuesday (8.18.26) against Bethany Christian with the first serve at 7 p.m. Gone from last year’s crew are Baylea Creech, who plans to play at Olivet Nazarene this season, and Brooklyn Barhams, who will continue her play at Indiana Tech. Other grads were Brooklyn Gillespie, Ava Armour, and Flaherty Harder. Herrity takes over the reins for Bill Stose, who retired. What are Herrity’s expectations? “We expect to compete for the conference championship while continuing to improve every day,” she related in an email interview. “We want to be playing our best volleyball by tournament time and build on the momentum of last year’s sectional championship. Our goal is to establish a culture of excellence that will sustain success for years to come.” Herrity has a few returners, seniors Jayla Armstrong and Jordin Webb, both outside hitters; setter Emma Young, and sophomore setter Kaelyn Dutton. Others expected to help out on the starting six are senior and Olivia Campbell, a middle hitter, and sophs Lyric Zartman, a libero, and Isla Griffee, a middle hitter. Herrity also expects some help from juniors McKenzie Verhoeve, Nadia Urban and Kyleigh Abraham. “This group brings athleticism, versatility and a competitive mindset to our roster,” she reported. “They’ve had a strong off-season and will provide valuable depth while giving us the opportunity to compete in multiple positions throughout the season.” While this is Herrity’s first time as head coach, she has earned her chops. A graduate of nearby Penn High School, she played under acclaimed Coach Lisa Pawlik as a setter, and her team State runner-up in 2002. She has served as a middle school coach seven years and recently coached the Jimtown junior high team for two years. And she’s on the Jimtown faculty. “Coach Pawlik has been extremely helpful throughout this transition and has continued to mentor me as I move to the high school level,” she remarked. “It has been pretty special to have someone who coached me as a player now be someone I can turn to for guidance as a coach.” Here’s the vball schedule: Aug. 13 at SB Riley 6 pm Aug. 18 vs Beth Chr 7 pm Aug. 20 at NorthRidge 6:30 pm Aug. 22 Jimtown Invitational 8:30 am Aug. 27 at NorthWood 7 pm Aug. 29 at Westview Tournament 9 am Sep. 1 vs Elkhart 7 pm Sep. 3 at Tippecanoe Valley 7 pm [C] Sep. 10 vs LaVille 7 pm [C] Sep. 12 at Concord Inv 8:30 am Sep. 16 at Triton 5:30 pm Sep. 17 at Glenn 7 pm [C] Sep. 22 vs Mishawaka 7 pm Sep. 24 vs Knox 7 pm [C] Sep. 29 at SB St. Joseph 7 pm Oct. 1 at Bremen 6:30 pm [C] Oct. 2 vs Bremen 7 pm Oct. 3 at New Prairie Inv. 9 am Oct. 6 vs Concord 6:30 pm Oct. 8 at Mishawaka 7 pm