Owen Mahin had a choice whether to play high school volleyball, but his genetics were pretty insistent.
Franklin’s junior setter picked up the sport two years ago and becomes more passionate about it with every pass and spike he delivers.
“I always enjoyed watching the sport, but I didn’t really have interest in playing it until my freshman year,” said Mahin, who each fall plays midfielder for the Franklin boys soccer team. “It’s the competitive and close-knit nature you have with the other five people on the court. You’re a lot more connected in volleyball.”
Other members of his family have known this for some time.
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Mahin’s mother, the former Alisha Mitro, is a 1990 Muncie Burris graduate who started for the single-class state champion as a senior. Mitro played at Purdue from 1990-93, ending her career with 900 kills and being named the team’s most valuable player as a senior.
Owen’s older sister, Isabell, is a former All-County volleyball player who helped Franklin’s girls to a 109-28 record over the past four seasons. Isabell plans to attend Purdue next year with hopes of contributing to coach Dave Shondell’s program as a manager.
At 6-foot-3, Owen Mahin is capable of playing basically anywhere along the net, though he’s mostly used as a setter or right-side hitter. Mahin leads the eighth-ranked Grizzly Cubs in service aces (12), is tied for first in blocks (11) and is tied for second in assists (52) and kills (22).
Mahin is one of two Franklin players with an older sister who excelled for the Grizzly Cubs. Senior setter Austin Sewell is the younger brother of Abby Sewell, currently a sophomore volleyball player at Franklin College.
Boys volleyball is not sanctioned by the Indiana High School Athletic Association. Franklin is one of 49 boys teams in the state, with Center Grove being the only other one in Johnson County.
The Grizzly Cubs (4-2) return to action Wednesday at Perry Meridian.
"When Owen first came in, he wasn’t sure that volleyball was his sport. Once we finally got him into the gym as a freshman it was fun to watch his interest in the sport grow," Franklin coach Sarah Records said. "For Owen, I don’t think the transition was that difficult.
"He really is a player we can plug into any position and he’s going to fill it well. I knew with his family background that, whether he acknowledged it or not, he had a lot of volleyball game knowledge. On the boys side, that’s difficult to find."
