Bishop Noll senior Zariah Winton needed this season.
During the summer, the end of her volleyball career seemed close at hand.
“For a second there, I began to lose my love for the game,” Winton said. “I was no longer having fun or doing what I do best.
“But as soon as the high school season started, I started having fun again, and my love started to come back.”
Winton’s rediscovered passion for the sport and her physical tools not only have made her one of the leaders for the Greater South Shore Conference champion Warriors (26-3, 7-0), who have not lost to a Region team this season and are ranked No. 4 in Class 3A by Indiana Prep Volleyball, but also are opening doors for her.
Winton, a 6-foot-1 outside hitter who said she can reach 10-2 when she jumps, has a team-high 318 kills and is tied with senior middle blocker Molly Whelan for the team lead with 25 blocks. Winton also has 193 digs and 56 aces.
Amid that success, Winton decided last month to pursue a college career. Bishop Noll coach David Rodriguez said Division I and Division II programs have been reaching out since then, prompting Winton to consider where her game can go next.
“There are going to be more things to learn when I get to the collegiate level,” she said. “There are still little tweaks and things I can do when the set isn’t perfect or if I’m not perfectly lined up that can make me a better and more consistent hitter than I am now.”
As Rodriguez pointed out, Winton doesn’t have a lot of experience at outside hitter.
“It’s not like she’s played this position too long,” Rodriguez said. “She started out as a middle and has been learning other positions in club, so she’s still really learning this one. When you think about where she is now and then project out, the sky’s the limit.”
Winton said she’s particularly proud of her well-rounded stat line this season and credited the support from her teammates, many of whom are seniors like her.
“I feel like I’ve been a more versatile player this year,” she said. “I’ve done lots and lots of things, and I have teammates who’ve believed in me, who believe I’ve gotten better than I was last year, and that’s helped me have the season I’ve had.”
Senior setter Raniyah Preston, who has a team-high 646 assists, has taken note of Winton’s enthusiasm this season.
“We’ve done better with the setter-hitter connection as the years have gone by, and she’s definitely been more open and understanding,” Preston said. “She’s more into playing games and just more into being here overall.”
The high-pressure environment of club volleyball had sapped Winton’s enjoyment of a sport she has played for years.
“During club season, I was like, ‘I’m done,’” she said. “It was always so serious because all of the girls were older than me, so I felt like I wasn’t able to have fun. I had to be on my A game 24/7.”
But Winton’s experience at Bishop Noll this season has changed that. With the playoffs approaching, she wants the two-time defending sectional champion Warriors to win their first regional title since 2016, and she knows how she can help.
“Defense is more important than offense,” Winton said. “I’ve been really focused on my passing and that first serve-receive pass because teams with better serve-receive win games.”
Dave Melton is a freelance reporter.
