NTSPY VOLLEYBALL FINALIST: Ali Hornung

Josh Cook, The Evening News and the Tribune, Jeffersonville, Ind.
·2 min read

Jun. 23—Providence's Ali Hornung, a 5-foot-10 senior outside hitter and two-time reigning Player of the Year, had another outstanding season for the Pioneers.

Hornung topped the team in kills (446), kills per set (4.6), kill percentage (49.5), hitting percentage (36.4), digs (368), solo blocks (eight) and serves received (478). She also ranked second in total blocks (45) and block assists (37), third in assists (53) and fourth in service aces (28) for the Pioneers, who went 23-7 and lost 3-2 to eventual Class 4A state champion Yorktown in the semistate.

"It was a great season," she said. "We were all kind of worried about it at first because we didn't know what to expect (with COVID-19), we were always worried about getting quarantined. ... But honestly I couldn't have asked for a better season, especially being my senior year. I was really, really close with a lot of the freshman and they followed our lead perfectly. We had a really, really close team this year and Coach (Terri) P(urichia) and the parents, tried to do everything to make it as normal as possible, so I'm really thankful for that."

After the season, the Hornung was named a first-team All-American by VolleyballMag.com, MaxPreps and Under Armour, as well as a first-team All-State selection in 4A by the Indiana High School Volleyball Coaches Association. Then last week, she was named the Gatorade Player of the Year in the state of Indiana.

"I was really surprised and really excited," she said. "It's a really big honor and I'm really humbled by it. The talent in Indiana for volleyball is crazy, it's ridiculous, so it's pretty awesome to get it."

Next for Hornung it will be on to Purdue, where she'll join her older sister, Marissa, a defensive specialist for the Boilermakers.

"I'm really excited," she said. "I've always told people it reminds me of Providence in a way because everybody's so close up there. I'm really looking forward to that, and just to play at the next level. I'm really excited for the competition aspect because I'm a really competitive person. Then, playing with Marissa for a year is going to be something pretty special."