LAFAYETTE ― McCutcheon boys volleyball coach Keith Crisler saw his players meld together after two years of learning the sport together.
Boys who picked up the sport for the first time two seasons ago became a formidable group that learned to pass, digs and score points together as a unit.
McCutcheon was swept in the first IHSAA sectional boys title title on Saturday afternoon to Zionsville 25-19, 25-14, 25-18, but the program summitted after going 11-20 in 2023 and 6-18 in 2024.
For Crisler, finishing with a 15-10 record in 2025 was a breakthrough for his Mavericks.
“One word I would say is growth,” Crisler said. “Growth as individuals, as athletes and as a program in the sport. Boys volleyball and men’s volleyball in Indiana has (some time) to grow, but I feel like we’ve had a successful season because we took that pioneering step to learn something new and that’s not an easy thing to do.”
The number of boys volleyball teams expanded from 35 in 2022 to the 133 competing in the IHSAA playoffs this spring.
As the competition grew, so did McCutcheon.
“I don’t think anyone should leave this season with their head down and their shoulders slumped,” Crisler said. “They are pioneer men and left their mark in their first official year in Indiana.”
The growth of McCutcheon volleyball was headed by graduating starters senior libero Khelan Patel, middle blocker Jayden Heygood, setter Kieraan Jordan, outside hitter Josh Madsen and outside hitter Malachi Kenner.
Patel, Heygood, Jordan, Madsen and Kenner were the “founding fathers of McCutcheon boys volleyball,” per Crisler.
“They are the true pioneers,” Crisler added. “A lot of what we did this season is because of them. With experiences they had and how they led the younger boys in our program, they should probably have a statue or something like that.”
Patel was a consistent libero who attacked and placed shot receives in playable directions for his offense.
“It just shows the effort and drive we had for the game,” Patel said. “I know all of us who have been playing, we go play during the offseason because of how much we love the sport. We really took it upon ourselves to grow the game, build the program and build what we had within our community at McCutcheon volleyball.”
Jordan distributed the ball as a setter but could also provide an extra body at the net to make blocks or earn kills and points for his team.
“It’s truly something special to be there during the first year and build this thing from the ground up when it wasn’t a fully sanctioned sport,” Jordan said. “It’s just awesome to see it blossom into this and see it expand like football and baseball.”
Jordan and Patel saw the culture grow at McCutcheon through their activity, setting an example for future players to come.
“It shows how much we’ve grown from March 10 and the first day of the season to now,” Jordan said. “We’ve been really focused and bought into the program and this was our goal, to make it to the championship. It showed there was so much focus put into this team.”
Ethan Hanson is the sports reporter for the Journal & Courier in Lafayette. He can be reached at ehanson@jconline.com, on Twitter at EthanAHanson and Instagram at ethan_a_hanson.
