Springs Valley Community High School

Maddie Carnes is in the middle of a monster season. All of 14 years old, the Springs Valley freshman has rapidly ascended through the local volleyball scene to become a prominent player with her mixture of skills, size, and athleticism. Through the Blackhawks’ sectional championship victory over Vincennes Rivet, Carnes had recorded 595 assists, 268 digs, 238 kills, and 58 aces — all numbers higher than some players produce in their careers. She’s also helped Springs Valley to a 29-4 record, one of the winningest seasons in the program’s storied history, and its first-ever Class 1A No. 1 ranking, which it achieved in the middle of the season and then reclaimed ahead of the state tournament. All of that will likely lead to the phenom getting recognition from a variety of outlets after the season when accolades are doled out, but in the meantime she’s also gotten recognition from her older teammates, who quickly accepted her and have helped her succeed throughout the season. “When you look at her age she’s a freshman, but she doesn’t play like a freshman,” Springs Valley senior Brynne Buchanan said. “She’s probably played more volleyball than most people can imagine and her experience has taken her a long way.” Carnes doesn’t play like a freshman and she doesn’t carry herself like one either. There’s not a shred of meekness to her when she’s on the floor. Whether she’s serving up aces, setting up teammates, or throwing down thunderous kills she’s always confident in her own ability and her teammates’ as well. “It’s hard to explain because she isn’t cocky and she’s not just confident, but she just holds herself to a different standard on and off the court,” Springs Valley assistant coach Caity Pierce said. “She knows what she’s capable of and she definitely acts like that. She doesn’t shy away when it comes to volleyball or anything on or off the court.” While some have been waiting for Carnes’ ascension to the varsity squad since she started showing her potential as an elementary- or middle-schooler, her mother — Springs Valley volleyball coach Erin Carnes — has been waiting for even longer. She’s looked forward to having both of her daughters — Maddie and Leigh, a member of Valley’s junior class — on her roster for quite some time and watching Maddie’s season unfold in particular has filled the veteran coach with pride. “I have to credit her teammates because they put her in good positions to do things well,” Erin Carnes said. “Watching her come into her own and make a name for herself obviously makes me very proud, because she’s put in that time and sacrifice and we’re traveling to Louisville and stuff, things that she wants to do, and I think she’s reaping those rewards now and I think she’s only going to grow from here.” Maddie’s also been waiting though. She’s spent her whole life in the gym around the Springs Valley volleyball program, watching her mom’s teams win conference title after conference title and a handful of sectional titles as well. That’s why, after earning the opportunity to play on this team, she had no intention of squandering it. “It’s really exciting to finally be on the big stage and be playing with the whole community watching,” Maddie Carnes said. “As a kid I was always in the gym. Every player who’s come through the program, I’ve kind of looked at like a big sister and it’s really fun to finally play where they were.” One of the biggest reasons for Maddie’s success this season is, in fact, those big sisters she’s had over the years. While learning the game and how to play it, she was exposed to so many excellent players and while that itself would’ve been enough to help kickstart her, those players also took the time to play with her and teach her what they knew. From program legend Allison Hammond — who went on to play at Indiana University — to a slew of other future collegiate athletes to her actual big sister Leigh, she’s been prepared for this moment over the course of years and years of mentoring. “As soon as Maddie walks into the gym, she’s little-bitty, she’s got who else but Allison Hammond (to watch). I remember stopping in the gym and seeing Allison and Maddie playing pepper and I always thought that was cool because Allison could have picked anybody to mess around with and play pepper, but there’s Maddie so let’s play with Maddie.” Springs Valley assistant coach Jolynne Cruz said of her niece. “Right out of the gate she had that as an example, then you have all the other girls who came through. You’ve got Caitlyn Reynolds, you’ve got Rebecca Pierce, you’ve got Caity Pierce, and that’s beside the fact that she spent many hours outside of practice with her mom in the gym on a Sunday afternoon hitting, passing, serving, doing all of those things. All of that, just her general presence in the gym, has prepared her.” Another reason for Maddie’s early success is the fact that she’s had an emotional connection to this program for years, allowing her to mature as a volleyball player before hitting the court for the varsity team. For example, back in 2019 her older cousin Abby was a senior and the Blackhawks put together quite the season: 28 wins, a conference title, a sectional title, the works. When that season came to an end at the hands of Trinity Lutheran in the regional championship match everybody in the program was upset, but Maddie was particularly devastated. Cruz recalls the then-sixth grader having to be peeled off of her cousin because she was crying so hard, not wanting to let go of Abby and her classmates. “She gets so emotionally invested in the players who are here so for that to be over, she knew what that meant. She knew that the girls were going to move on and they weren’t going to be on the team anymore. For a sixth-grader that’s a big deal,” Cruz said. “She already had that connection, so coming in she just instantly started to meld in with everyone. It wasn’t weird that she was in there because I think they were waiting for her. I know they were waiting for her.” As much as Maddie loved watching the players who mentored her, they’ve reciprocated it now that she’s the one on the floor for Springs Valley. For Caity Pierce, particularly, it’s been a thrill watching Maddie grow from the kindergartner who wrote “I love you” on a piece of masking tape and gave it to her to a key player on a team bound and determined to make it to Muncie. “It’s surreal, honestly, when you think about it. You can’t really put it into words because she was like a little sister,” Pierce said. “We spent hours in the gym, we were here during Valley season and then we were here during club season and we’d come in and work privates and I feel like she was always there. She was there when I was growing up and I was there when she was growing up and now to watch her really excel on the court, it’s insane to watch the kind of player that she is.” Now Maddie will get a chance to thrust herself toward her mentors in the conversation of program greats by doing something none of them were able to, win a regional championship. The Blackhawks will take on Lanesville on Saturday afternoon and a win over the Eagles would put them in the title match for the third time in four seasons. If they could get there and beat either Trinity Lutheran or Tecumseh, it would be their first regional title since 1999. “It’s huge and I don’t think she can quite appreciate it at this point. She’s played in huge games, as a 13-year-old she was playing in the (club) national championship in Florida, so she’s been in these moments which is going to help her tremendously,” Erin Carnes said. “The credit goes back to the girls around her because they put her in positions to succeed. If we can do what I think we can do and what I think we’re going to do, it’s going to be pretty special.” Though she may not appreciate how big this moment is for her, Maddie certainly understands why she has it. She’s grateful for everybody who’s helped her along the way, including those big sisters she looked up to and the teammates she shares the floor with. “I wouldn’t be here without any of my teammates. I’m very privileged to play on their team,” Maddie Carnes said. “It’s really exciting to know that I’ve waited all these years and finally this is my moment to really show everyone what I can do.”