Fahey Bank Athlete of the Month: RV's Haleigh Creps one of Ohio's top hitters
CALEDONIA — As a student with a perfect grade point average who is currently ranked No. 1 in her class at River Valley, it's no surprise that the brain of Haleigh Creps runs like a super computer when she's on the volleyball court.
Calculations, percentages, equations, best outcomes are always rolling through her head.
"When I go up, I don’t remember reading the court, but I know I see it in the air," the 6-foot-1 senior middle hitter said, while trying to explain her craft at hitting a volleyball. "I adjust to where I need to go, and I see the spots to hit while I’m up there, especially because not every set is going to be in the same place and I’m not going to be at the same speed every time. It’s very important to read the set as well as reading the other court at the same time."
In real time, the info needs to be processed in the couple seconds it take the setter to send the ball her way for the point of contact.
And yet she makes it look easy.
"It’s important to read the team and read where their defense is and what spots are open," she continued. "I also have players like my back row who tell me a lot as well as my coach — places that are open to hit and where they’re weaker on the other side of the net. It’s a lot of my teammates helping me out by telling me what’s open as well as reading the blocks by the other players on the other side of the net."
It gets even more difficult when everyone in the gym knows No. 12 is getting the ball. Nevertheless, Creps made the proper calculations and delivered the kills at the net for the Vikings, becoming one of the most feared players in volleyball.
"It’s her passion for volleyball. She loves it," RV senior setter Morgan Nemeth said earlier this season. "It’s nice to know we have that, and we can use her to get back into a game."
It was a record-breaking, accolade-filled season for Creps who went from very good to elite during the transition from junior to senior. She credits the offseason work in club volleyball for that final development as a hitter.
"I don’t know what clicked, but something did," she admitted. "I felt a lot more comfortable on the court and comfortable in my playing ability. I learned about myself a little bit more, if that makes sense. I knew what works better for me and what doesn’t work better for me. I think also knowing I was going into my last year with people I’ve played with for 10 years, that was a big thing that made me want to play hard."
As Nemeth crested 1,000 assists for her career and River Valley libero Eden Osborne reached 1,000 all-time digs, Creps was making her own bit of history.
In a September match against Galion, Creps finished with 38 kills, a school record for kills in a match at RV. She was named Ohio Player of the Week by the American Volleyball Coaches Association.
"They love the game. Morgan, Haleigh, Janelle (Hoback), they all three played, and the next year they added Reagan Hummel to it and the next year Eden (Osborne) came into it, so they’ve played together for a long time. Those initial three have been there since third grade," RV coach Jayne Klingel said of her group.
A few matches later, Creps hung 37 kills on Pleasant with 10 blocks and two aces. During that one, she became the school's single-season record holder for kills, shattering the mark of 354 held by Lauren Morrow, her first volleyball coach in third grade.
"I was very motivated for that one," Creps said of the record. "I know Morgan was working to reach her 1,000 assists, and when I knew I was in range to beat the kill record this year, that was a big motivation for the both of us. Us working together to achieve those goals was very important. Us driving each other was very important."
In September alone, Creps posted 328 kills on 676 attempts for an outrageous .485 hitting percentage. In the span, she was a 92 percent server with 17 aces, adding 125 digs and 66 blocks as an all-around talent.
It was more than enough for her to be named Fahey Bank Athlete of the Month for September for Marion County females.
"I was not expecting that one," she said of the award. "It’s been a long time since a volleyball player (at River Valley) has received it. It was a surprise to me, and I was appreciative of that one. I was excited about that one."
Her high level of play continued into October where she helped the Vikings to a winning record in the Mid Ohio Athletic Conference and a final 12-12 mark.
She ended as one of the top players in the state.
Creps was sixth in Ohio, regardless of division, with 518 kills, averaging 6.2 per set with a 44.2 kill percentage on 1,173 attacks. Her hitting percentage of .338 was 17th-best in Division II.
Kreps was also one of the top blockers in the state with 114, ranking sixth in D-II and 24th overall in Ohio. She added 45 aces for a 15 percent ace percentage and a 93 percent serve percentage. She was an all-around player, putting up 194 digs and 125 serve receptions, too.
She was named MOAC Player of the Year for 2022 and was a second-team All-Ohio pick in Division II.
Heady stuff for a heady player.
"I’m going out on a very good note, and I’m glad I could leave my high school doing everything that I could and giving it my all," she said.
Volleyball has been a huge part of her life for the last 10 years and now she's deciding if it will continue to do so. She knows she wants to major in nursing, but isn't sure if volleyball will be part of the package. Division II and III schools, especially from West Virginia, are recruiting her, she said.
"It’s a lot of thinking," she said.
But then she's used to doing a lot of thinking.
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Fahey Bank Athlete of the Month
September Girls Nominees
Winner: Haleigh Creps, senior River Valley volleyball.
Taylor Iden, senior, Marion Harding soccer.
Dina Shah, senior, Pleasant golf.
Grace Staton, senior, Ridgedale volleyball.
Alyvia Roth, senior, Elgin volleyball.
This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Fahey Bank Award: RV's Haleigh Creps becomes one of Ohio's top hitters
