<p>Boys volleyball at Franklin Community High School has existed for 15 seasons and 412 matches.</p>
<p>Kat Sarles had a front-row seat for every block, serve and dig.</p>
<p>Sarles, the only head coach in program history, decided to make this past season her last. Her 267-145 (.648) record includes qualifying for the state finals — or final eight teams — three of the last four years.</p>
<p>Only 40, Sarles, who teaches U.S. government and world history at the high school, now turns her attention to becoming more involved with Franklin’s athletics department as a whole.</p>[sc:text-divider text-divider-title="Story continues below gallery" ]
<p>“I started coaching when I was 18. I took some club teams from Cincinnati to nationals and that sort of thing, and have 22 years under the belt,” Sarles said. “We’ve established a cultural presence here at Franklin high school.</p>
<p>“And because I’m in the high school, my hope is to lend auxiliary support to the program.”</p>
<p>With approximately 40 high school boys club volleyball programs throughout Indiana, it’s not close to becoming a sanctioned sport by the Indiana High School Athletic Association.</p>
<p>Nonetheless, Franklin’s program established itself as a recognized force and has sustained that reputation with eight state tournament appearances since 2005.</p>
<p>Programs the Grizzly Cubs play during the regular season include Roncalli, Columbus North, Southport, Columbus East, Brownsburg and Cathedral.</p>
<p>This year’s Franklin team, captained by seniors Cole Miller and Juan Sundheimer and junior Hunter Gross, produced a 23-4 record. It advanced all the way to the final four — one spot shy of the program’s all-time best finish of third in 2008.</p>
<p>Sarles credits former Franklin student Ryan Waggoner for coming up with the idea of starting a boys volleyball program.</p>
<p>“I was actually approached by Ryan, who was a freshman that year (2002-03). He said he was interested in starting a program here at Franklin and asked if I would coach it,” Sarles said.</p>
<p>“At the time I was teaching and was an assistant in the girls volleyball program here.”</p>
<p>Gradually, the number of participants increased.</p>
<p>The Cubs have been able to put both a varsity and junior varsity product on the court every season with the exception of the first one.</p>
<p>A halfback/defensive back for the school’s varsity football team, the 5-foot-9 Miller viewed volleyball as the ideal springtime activity.</p>
<p>“The reason I play is one year we were doing football conditioning in the off-season, running around, and I thought it looked fun. I tried out the next day and made the team,” said Miller, adding he’ll miss playing for Sarles.</p>
<p>“She is very passionate about winning, which is a good thing. She has that balance of when to push us and when to be there for us.”</p>
<p>Sarles was not much older than the players she was coaching the first few seasons of Franklin boys volleyball.</p>
<p>Her coaching style evolved over her tenure.</p>
<p>“Early on in my career it was a lot closer to being a player’s coach because I was closer to their age. Now my players know that I care about them and that I’m invested in them in the classroom, on the court and in their personal lives,” Sarles said. “There is a separation today.</p>
<p>“There’s a balance between being vocal on the floor and being able to build players up. I think I blend both. I’ve very purposeful both in a vocal way and in a quiet way.”</p>[sc:pullout-title pullout-title="Kat Sarles pullout" ][sc:pullout-text-begin]<p>THE SARLES FILE</p>
<p>Name: Kat Sarles</p>
<p>Age: 40</p>
<p>Born: Alton, Illinois</p>
<p>Family: Parents, Chuck Sarles and Donna Dixon</p>
<p>High school: Glendale H.S. (Springfield, Missouri) – 1994</p>
<p>College: Ball State University – 1998</p>
<p>Major: Secondary Education</p>[sc:pullout-text-end][sc:pullout-title pullout-title="FCHS roster" ][sc:pullout-text-begin]<p>2016 ROSTER</p>
<p>Player;Grade;Ht.</p>
<p>Logan Snyder;So.;5-8</p>
<p>Phoenix Campos;Sr.;5-9</p>
<p>A.J. Rice;Jr.;6-4</p>
<p>Cole Miller;Sr.;5-9</p>
<p>Quinn Cataldi;Sr.;6-1</p>
<p>Sam Vanderveen;Jr.;5-9</p>
<p>Ryan Clendening;Jr.;5-8</p>
<p>Nathan Bonham;Sr.;6-3</p>
<p>Juan Sundheimer;Sr.;5-11</p>
<p>Tamer Akermawi;Jr.;5-7</p>
<p>Nathan Sellers;So.;6-1</p>
<p>Garrett Wood;Jr.;6-2</p>
<p>Har Dhaliwal;Sr.;6-3</p>
<p>Tony Sundheimer;Jr.;6-2</p>
<p>Hunter Gross;Jr.;6-3</p>
<p>Head coach: Kat Sarles</p>
<p>Assistant coaches: Jeff Sewell, Sarah Records, Craig Harvey</p>[sc:pullout-text-end][sc:pullout-title pullout-title="State Finals appearances" ][sc:pullout-text-begin]<p>STATE TOURNAMENT APPEARANCES</p>
<p>Year;Place;Record</p>
<p>2005;7th;25-14</p>
<p>2007;8th;21-15</p>
<p>2008;3rd;24-9</p>
<p>2009;8th;14-14</p>
<p>2010;6th;19-9</p>
<p>2013;5th;21-5</p>
<p>2014;4th;17-7</p>
<p>2016;4th;23-4</p>
<p>Program Record: 267-145</p>[sc:pullout-text-end]