Freshman year was the first time Alex Schmitt, middle blocker for the men’s volleyball team and junior, ever picked up a volleyball in his life.

“I saw a call-out meeting and thought, ‘Hey, what the heck,’” Schmitt said.
After one month playing JV during his freshman year, Schmitt moved up to varsity and has been playing there ever since. He said his first varsity start was against Moeller High School, who was 13th in the nation at the time. Additionally, he plays on Indy Assault, a local club that, Schmitt said, is a mix of the best 17-year-olds in Indiana. He said Indy Assault is a good way to stay in shape and get his swing back before the regular season.
Schmitt is not alone in his discovery of men’s volleyball.
Jack Stanton, right side hitter and senior, also discovered volleyball during freshman year.
“Basically, my freshman year I was looking for something to do as a spring sport,” Stanton said. He said that Jack Lesure, who was a senior at this school at the time, told him about men’s volleyball.
“I decided to go out to open gyms and fell in love with it,” Stanton said.
Stanton will be the only senior on this season’s volleyball team, which is dominated by underclassmen. Jon Harmon, Head Coach for the men’s volleyball team, said the team has a strong group of sophomores this year, and along with only one senior, the team has three juniors.
As the only senior, Stanton said, “You definitely have to step up as a leader because there’s not going to be any direction and the coach can’t do it all by himself.”
Of Stanton, Harmon said, “He’s just a good young man. He’s a silent leader.”
Although Stanton is the only senior on the men’s volleyball player, he said he is used to being in that situation by now.
“It’s different. I remember last year I had friends as a junior they were seniors and I would hang out with them and this year it’s kind of weird but I don’t think too much about it honestly,” Stanton said. “Being a senior, you just have a greater deal of responsibility.”
Harmon, Schmitt and Stanton all have high hopes for the upcoming season despite the youth of the team. Harmon said that Carmel should be a top four team this year.
“Every year we step on the court, our goal is a State title. When we step on the court, expectations are to play at a level that’s that high,” Harmon said.
Harmon said Chesterton, the Indiana Boys Volleyball Coaches Association (IBVCA) champion last year, only graduated one player and will be a front-runner for the title this year. He also said that Roncalli, Noblesville and Cathedral will be contenders. Carmel lost in the Semifinal 1 to 3 last year to Roncalli, who has been to the State game the last two years. Carmel won the IBVCA title in 2011 and 2012.

“I don’t know if we will (win the State title this year,) but I think we definitely can. The talent is there,” Stanton said. “We just have to focus and play hard and play together, and if that is not in the right mold then we won’t win, but if it is then we definitely will win.”
Chesterton and Roncalli, last year’s matchup in the State title, both have experience against Carmel. Although Chesterton and Roncalli may have more upperclassmen, Harmon said that the sophomore-dominated team has members who are sophomores “by grade” but are vastly more experienced than most tenth graders because of their involvement in club volleyball throughout the high school offseason.
“Experience is experience, you can’t beat that, but we have heart and we’ll get lucky,” Schmitt said.
Stanton said he thinks the team will stack up well against opponents and that by the end of the season they should be in good shape for a tournament run.
Harmon agreed and said they will be in a position to battle for the State title.
“Regardless of what happens, it’s been fun,” Stanton said. “Being the only senior, you’re kind of by yourself but you get the opportunity to build the underclassmen… (for the State title) don’t count us out.”