New Castle senior setter Melani Shaffmaster previews season. Robert General, Muncie Star Press
NEW CASTLE, Ind. — As New Castle volleyball practices with just over two weeks before the start of the 2019 season, this team looks almost identical to the one that earned its second consecutive state title at Worthen Arena last fall.
That’s because, for the most part, it is.
Senior setter Melani Shaffmaster, who finished eighth in Indiana with 1,028 assists last season, is out on the court alongside junior outside hitter Mabrey Shaffmaster, who led the state with 642 kills. Senior Zoe Conway and junior Bailey Cox, who accounted for 634 of the Trojans' 1,427 digs last season, are practicing and cheering junior middle hitters Laila Smith and Nicole Wilkinson.