On the basketball court, Ali Line did a little bit of everything for state power Center Grove.
A 6-foot-2 frontcourt player, she was the Trojans’ top rebounder; was their second-leading assists producer; was a reliable scorer for the incredibly balanced sectional champions; and was an honorable mention selection on the Daily Journal All-County Team.
Yet for all her efficiency in basketball, it was not her best sport.
Volleyball was.
A four-year varsity starter, Line was not only the top player on one of the state’s top-ranked Class 4A teams, Line was one Indiana’s top high school players, period.
Her season-long excellence at middle blocker helped power the Trojans to a 29-4 record and the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference championship. She tallied 426 kills, 90 blocks and 31 service aces her senior season and earned the Daily Journal’s Player of the Year honor.
In recognition of her accomplishments in basketball and volleyball, Line has been selected the 2014-15 Johnson County Female Athlete of the Year, as chosen by the Daily Journal sports staff.
Line accepted the award during Tuesday’s Johnson County Athlete of the Year Banquet at Franklin College. The guest speaker was Franklin College graduate Roger Schroder, a retired varsity basketball coach who was a member of the 1954 Milan state basketball team.
“Volleyball and basketball have a huge place in my heart, just being with the girls on the team,” said Line, who will continue her volleyball career on a full scholarship to NCAA Division I Illinois State University. “To be able to compete for Center Grove is a such an honor.”
A versatile athlete who at one time played three varsity sports, Line won 10 letters during her high school career. She earned four in volleyball, three in basketball and two in softball before giving that sport up to focus on the other two.
The extra attention she gave to basketball and volleyball clearly paid dividends.
A statistical and vocal leader in both sports, Line led the Trojans’ basketball team in rebounds at 6.4 per game. She was second in assists at 2.0 per game and averaged 6.4 points on a spread-the-wealth team that had only two players average double-figure scoring.
An honorable mention All-State selection, she was also the basketball team’s Mental Attitude Award winner.
She collected even more more honors in volleyball, where she was first team All-State, Academic All-State, All-MIC and and Indiana All-Star.
An honors student, Line ranked 16th in a class of 569 with a 4.4 GPA on a 4.0 scale. She plans to major in nursing. Her career goal is to become a pediatric nurse practitioner.
And she still has a volleyball career ahead of her. She plans to make the most of it.
“I’ve played basketball all my life, longer than volleyball, actually,” Line said. “I’m going to miss that a lot, but I’m excited to be able to focus all of my energy into volleyball and become the best player I can be in that sport.”
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”At a glance” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
FORMER ATHLETE OF THE YEAR WINNERS
Name;School;Year
Katie Cooper;Franklin;1999
Laura Swander;Center Grove;2000
Jennifer Gandolph;Center Grove;2001
Megan Liffick;Whiteland;2002
Brittany Hedrick;Center Grove;2003
Darcy Wood;Center Grove;2004
Natalie Hesler;Center Grove;2005
Jenny Gray;Center Grove;2006
Lindsey Hartman;Greenwood;2007
Michelle McKeehan;Center Grove;2008
Sarah Higgens;Center Grove;2009
Emilee Owens;Edinburgh;2010
Morgan Johnson;Whiteland;2011
Kailey Evans;Greenwood;2012
Ally Lehman;Indian Creek;2013
Brittany Gray;Greenwood;2014
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Name: Ali Line
High school: Center Grove
Sports: Volleyball, basketball, softball
Varsity letters won: 10
College plans: Will attend Illinois State University on a full volleyball scholarship
Major: Nursing
Career goal: To become pediatric nurse practitioner
Parents: Don and Jeri-Lynn Line
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