Barcus headed to WSU

During her freshman season, Abby Barcus didn’t see much time on the varsity court until the end of the season.
So she started spending more time in the gym to work on her skills — jumping higher, getting stronger and hitting harder.
During her sophomore season, she rarely left the court, and quickly became one of the Patriots’ biggest threats.
She’ll now have the opportunity to play at the next level.
Barcus, a Jay County High School senior, signed a national letter of intent Friday morning to play volleyball for the Raiders of Wright State University.
“It means everything,” said Barcus, who led the Patriots in kills in each of the last two seasons. She notched 346 this year, a slight decline from the 362 she racked up as a junior.
“I’ve worked really hard to get here,” she added.
Barcus began playing during the sixth grade, and said she wasn’t very skilled prior to her freshman year. So she joined the Munciana club program in Yorktown, traveling the state and country to play in tournaments and showcases.
That’s when she fell in love with the sport and made the decision to continue to work on her skills during the Patriots’ offseason.
“Then I made the best team at Munciana and (began) playing more at Jay County,” she said.
Because of such a strong senior class and exceptional sophomores, Barcus didn’t initially see much time on varsity, but JCHS coach Fred Medler gave her free reign as a freshman on the junior varsity court.
The following year, however, there were no restraints.
“There was no holding her back,” said Medler. “We needed to find a place put her on the court.

“That is one of the things about her; we could put her anywhere on the court.
“Sophomore year she blossomed into a very, very good volleyball player.”
Along with a trio of juniors — Abby Wendel, Ava Kunkler and Kylie Osborne — and an exceptional setter in fellow sophomore Lizzy Schoenlein, Barcus emerged as an offensive threat that other teams had to key on. She got stronger, hit harder and often required a pair of blockers any time she went up for an attack.
The Patriots were a solid 25-8 that year, and only got better as that core of players continued to gel together.
During her junior season, she was the go-to hitter and was often the best all-around player on the court. She helped lead Jay County to a 28-6 record, including Allen County Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament championships.
That’s when Wright State began to take notice.
“I liked how close it was to home so my parents could come watch me play,” said Barcus, who plans to study nursing at the school in Dayton, Ohio. She verbally committed to the Raiders during her junior season, and became an AAU All-American prior to her senior year.
“I didn’t want to have to worry about it,” she said of the commitment. “I wanted to find the school that I fell in love with and not have to worry about it through my senior year; kind of get the hard part over and smooth sailing from there.”
As an NCAA Division I commit, Barcus didn’t change a thing about her demeanor on, or off, the court.
“She’s been a perfect teammate,” Medler said. “I’m just thankful I did nothing to hurt her in any way, shape or form. She is still progressing and still wants to be a part of Jay County volleyball.
“Interesting part will be to see her step up at the next level. I know she’s going to give an effort. She’s going to work hard until she finds a way on to the court.”
In addition to Barcus being a perfect teammate — Medler said she never acted as a “prima donna” like some other Division I athletes might after committing — she is also a tremendous role model for the younger players.
“Thing that we always want players to do is leave a legacy,” Medler said. “All the young kids say they want to hit like Barcus.
“Hopefully we’ll get someone else that comes along that hits like Barcus.”