SUNBURY – Abi Swisher can already see what’s going to happen next when she rises at the net.
A senior middle blocker for the Big Walnut girls volleyball team, Swisher has a propensity to get in the way of an opponent’s shot. She is ranked seventh in the state with 66 blocks this season.
“Honestly, when I’m going up for a block, my [mindset] is I’m blocking this ball,” Swisher said. “Sometimes I don’t get up on the block. It happens to the best of the best. If I’m not up, I’m covering and I’m going to get up on the next one.”
Swisher is just one important piece of a well-rounded team. The Golden Eagles are 18-0 overall and in the driver’s seat for another league title in the OCC-Capital Division. It’s the best start in program history, according to coach Ron Lehman.
Volleyball is a light out of a very dark childhood. Her teammates are more like a family because she faced a lot of uncertainty in her own.
Swisher and older brother Dominik spent some time in the foster care system when they were young because her parents battled substance abuse.
They were both adopted by their aunt Angela when Abi was 7 years old.
It’s part of the reason Abi wants to pursue psychology, childhood development or early child education in college where she hopes to continue her volleyball career.
“I just really want to help kids like me,” Abi said. “I want to tell them that it’s going to be O.K. and there’s definitely a future for them.
“They don’t need to turn to anything bad, or they don’t need to think they’re not important here or it would be better if they’re gone.”
Swisher’s past makes her cherish her present. She views her teammates as part of her family.
She started playing volleyball because her friends were playing. She credits senior opposite-side hitter Payton Gordon’s parents, who helped pay for Swisher’s first season of club, “100%” for everything that came after.
Swisher has been a fixture on varsity for the last three seasons, amassing 282 blocks and 504 kills in her career.
“(She’s always) been a good middle, but she’s really stepped up this year,” said Lehman, who is in his 37th season at Big Walnut and 758 wins entering the season were sixth in the state all-time. “Her blocking has been amazing this year. (It’s) made a big difference in how we play teams with her on the block.”
It’s a program that has so many championships Big Walnut needs two banners on the wall to display all of them, not counting the individual banners that are up for the program’s seven appearances at the state tournament.
It hasn’t been easy for Big Walnut this season as evidenced by its 25-13, 25-22, 20-25, 21-25, 16-14 marathon victory over Westerville South on Sept. 30. The Eagles now hold a two-match lead over the Wildcats in league play with four left to play.
If Big Walnut holds on, it’ll be their first title since 2021 and 25th overall.
“(We) have a balanced attack, which makes it difficult for teams to defend us,” Lehman said. “It’s hard for them to concentrate on that one person.”
This year, Swisher is fourth on the team with 96 kills behind junior outside hitter Shelby Damron (151), senior outside hitter Sophie Hamilton (150) and senior opposite-side hitter Val McKim (97). Junior middle hitter Karson Joseph has 95 kills.
Hamilton also has a team-high 37 aces and 138 digs and Damron has 117 digs and 30 aces. Junior defensive specialist Anna Pavlak also has 30 aces.
Senior setter Audrey Colson has 450 assists, junior libero Claire Dixon has 188 digs.
“Obviously, my background … it was horrible,” Swisher said. “Finding that sport really was a light for me. It was my purpose to stay. It was the community … there’s nothing like it. They’re my family and they’ll always be my family. Nothing can change that.”
