12/11/15 • By Jim Osborn / josborn@columbustelegram.com
COLUMBUS — Maeghan Pieper will be in the middle of things when she steps on the volleyball court at the Raider Fieldhouse next season, just like she was during her Scotus Central Catholic career.
The 17-year-old middle hitter, surrounded by family members, coaches and teammates, was the center of things again Friday morning as she signed her letter of intent to play volleyball at Central Community College-Columbus next fall.
"The most impressive thing about Maeghan is her confidence and her presence," said Scotus head coach Joe Held, who will lose nine seniors (seven starters) off this year's 25-7 team that finished fourth in the Class C-1 state volleyball tournament in November.
"Maeghan is the leader that everyone followed," Held said. "She'll do great things for Central."
Raiders head coach Mary Young has a spot for her new recruit.
"She'll be in the middle for us," said Young, noting that her Central squads have been dotted with a lot of great Scotus athletes over the years. "She fits the mold."
Young said keeping local athletes close to home benefits Central and the community as a whole.
"Maeghan's a great addition," she said.
Pieper, the daughter of Adam and Pam Pieper of Columbus, says Central is a good fit for her, too.
Pieper wasn't interested in heading off to a big university with thousands of students while she's still undecided about her career path. The Columbus campus seemed to make more sense.
"I'll save money on the basic courses at a smaller school while I figure out my major," she said.
Pieper's volleyball career at Scotus took some twists and turns in four years.
The 5-foot-11 senior's first two years playing for the Shamrocks were spent with legendary head coach John Petersen, the last two with Held on the bench.
As a freshman, Pieper was one of only a handful of first-year players elevated to the varsity starting lineup on Petersen's powerful Scotus teams.
"Starting and playing on the varsity as a freshman at the state tournament (that year) was a whole different experience," Pieper said. "It was scary."
During the offseason between her freshman and sophomore years, Pieper was injured during an all-star game. She landed awkwardly on the ankle of another player at the net, suffering several stress fractures in her back.
She sat out her sophomore season as a medical precaution.
"It was tough to sit out (after playing so much as a freshman)," Pieper said.
When she came back as a junior, Pieper was playing the best volleyball of her Scotus career. She earned Class C-1 all-state honors in each of her final two years, leading the team in kills as a senior and finishing among the leaders in defensive digs.
Scotus closed out her senior season by falling in four sets to Chadron, with the Shamrocks finishing fourth at the state tourney. The Shamrocks had earlier dropped a heartbreaking five-setter to eventual state champion Kearney Catholic.
Pieper is ready for the challenges of college in the classroom and on the court, but she's not ready to part ways with her friends and teammates.
"Our team got along really well all year," Pieper said. "Oh gosh, it's going to be weird not seeing everyone for a couple of hours at practice every day."