HUNTERTOWN — A sunny, cool late fall night at Carroll High School.
And outdoor girls volleyball?
Yep, you read that right.
Carroll and Homestead have been perennial rivals in pretty much every sport for years — and that definitely includes girls volleyball.
Aug. 27 at Charger Stadium, the Chargers and Spartans took to a special court laid out at the 50-yard line.
It was the first-ever outdoor girls volleyball match in Indiana, and fans of both teams filled the home bleachers.
And when all was said and done, the Class 4A defending state champion Chargers kept rolling to open the 2025 season, sweeping the Spartans, 25-18, 25-10, 25-6.
It was senior hitter and IU-Indianapolis-bound Bailey Sinish leading the way for Carroll with 15 kills and four blocks.
Bailey Sinish said the atmosphere for the match was incredible.
“It was super cool,” Sinish said. “We were a little nervous to start, but we got settled in.”
Carroll head coach Pandy Sinish said, “I kept looking up and the crowd…what a memory.”
After a rocky first-set start that saw the Chargers fall behind 10-6, coach Sinish said her team got over those early jitters and went on a run.
“We figured out how to play through it, and we gained more confidence,” coach Sinish said.
The Charger JV also swept the Spartans, 2-0.
Aug. 28, it was back to normal for the Chargers as they hosted Snider, dispatching the Panthers, 25-13, 25-9, 25-7.
It was Sinish leading Carroll with 12 kills and three blocks. Sophia Gisslen dished out 20 assists and had three digs. Cala Haffner had four digs and four service aces.