Heading into her sophomore year, Warsaw Community High School libero Ellie Hepler already has a list of accomplishments that would take even the speediest of readers quite a bit of time to get through.

This past week, Hepler added to that list in a big way. Her AAU team, the Boiler Juniors, which is based in Lafayette, finished in third place at a national tournament in Orlando Florida. It was the sixth year in a row the Boiler Juniors finished at least third nationally, with three of those years, including the previous two, ending in national championships.

“It’s a great way to kind of gauge yourself and your team, to see how you stack up against some of the top teams in the country,” Hepler said. “We’re playing the top teams from Texas, Florida and other teams that are training year round. So to go up against competition like that, it can be really rewarding.”

Along with her team success, Hepler was named an All-American for the second time in three years.

“Knowing how many incredible players are at these tournaments and knowing that any one of them could have been picked as an All-American, really makes it all the more special that I was chosen,” Hepler said.

It just as easily could have been the third time Hepler was selected for the honor. The incoming sophomore told the story of the moment she realized just how good she was.

“When I was eleven, we had just won our first AAU championship. A coach came over to us, and when you’re eleven they don’t select All-Americans,” Hepler pointed out. “He came over and said ‘if we chose [All-Americans] for your age group, you would be my top pick.’ That was kind of the moment where I was like, really? Me? Oh my gosh. It was really cool.”

The All-American selection was just the latest acknowledgement of what has been a fantastic year for Hepler. After winning her third national championship last summer, the libero immediately made an impact during her freshman year at Warsaw, leading the team in digs with 491, which was also good enough for a top-ten finish in the state. She also had a team-best 92.1 serving percentage. Hepler was named a captain and won the team’s defensive MVP award while also being named to the Northern Lakes All-Conference team as a member of the conference-winning Lady Tigers.

The successes weren’t all individual however, as Hepler was a key factor in Warsaw winning 24 games and its first sectional title since 2018, as well as advancing to the regional final before falling to Lake Central in the elite eight. With fellow all-conference selections Kaylee Weeks and Avery Hales graduating, as well as the team’s third senior Delani Henderson, Hepler is looking forward to further embracing her leadership role as perhaps the team’s most crucial returner.

“That’s the position I’ve been in on pretty much every team I’ve played for, I love to lead and help other players around me,” Hepler said. “I’ve had some great role models throughout my career that have helped prepare me to take on this role, especially Avery. So, yeah, I’m really excited for it.”

After yet another successful club season in 2023 in which she has already been selected to four all-tournament teams, Hepler was named the No. 1 libero in the state of Indiana for the class of 2026 by Prep Dig Volleyball.

    Warsaw sophomore libero Ellie Hepler shows off her newest piece of hardware: an All-American award for the Junior National Volleyball Championships in Orlando, Florida.
  

“Being a libero is hard, it’s a position that can go under the radar compared to the big hitters. But she is so consistent and is so good at doing all of the little things that the sky really is the limit in terms of her potential,” Warsaw head volleyball coach, and Ellie’s mom, Chandra Hepler said. “I think she can be an Olympian, that’s a conversation we’ve had, but that is all up to her and what she wants to do.”

Chandra, a former Division I volleyball player at the University of Missouri, also serves as one of the coaches for the incredibly successful Boiler Juniors program alongside Purdue assistant coach John Shondell. She has coached Ellie for the past seven years and says their relationship has blossomed because of it.

“I had a great mentor when I was growing up with my dad. He coached me in every sport that I played and showed me what it was like to be an elite athlete. So I’ve kind of tried to do that with Ellie,” Coach Hepler said. “We’ve always said if there was ever any disrespect either way or if she just wasn’t comfortable with me coaching her anymore that I would stop, but there hasn’t been that. I try my best to leave the coaching on the court and be a mom off of it.”

Chandra’s father, Terry Hopkins, was also a huge supporter of his granddaughter Ellie’s career. Sadly, he passed away in March, on the same day Ellie was scheduled to head to Louisville to compete in an invitation-only Under Armour camp. It wasn’t easy, but both Heplers would eventually make it down to play and coach.

“It’s what my dad would have wanted,” Chandra said. “I think Ellie being selected as an All-American this year meant the most out of any award she’s ever received, because all I could think about was how proud he would be.”

Ellie’s favorite on-the-court moment was winning the first of her national championships.

“It was such a surreal feeling, it almost didn’t feel real,” she said. “To look at your teammates after taking down a really good team and realizing that you're the national champions, I’ll never forget that feeling.”

With her second year at Warsaw quickly approaching, Hepler’s goals for the season mirror that of her first. Above all else, she wants to win.

“I want us to be back in the regional final, at least. I’ve wanted to win state since before I got here and that is still the main goal I have,” the younger Hepler said. “I also want to reach 1,000 digs this year and I definitely think I can. Being named All-Conference again would be such a huge honor too.”

Another goal of Ellie’s that she is making her way towards is playing volleyball at the Division I level. She doesn’t have any official offers yet, though to no fault of her own. Recruiting rules for volleyball include the stipulation that players cannot be officially contacted by schools until the June 15th before their junior year.

With all that she has already accomplished and another year to keep racking up accolades before schools can start calling, there are sure to be more than a few high-level programs counting down the days.