2,147 kills (county record), 1,107 digs, 309 aces, and leading the state in kills her senior year with 631, those are the numbers that Crawfordsville volleyball senior Macy Bruton put up in her career. The numbers are just staggering as she closed out what was nothing short of a historic four years with the Athenians this past season. Bruton was simply one of the most feared hitters in the state with the power she possessed at the net.
What’s most impressive about Bruton is while she was asked to be the main scorer for the Athenians the last few seasons, the offensive side of the ball isn’t where she shines the brightest. Bruton plays travel ball with Circle City Volleyball and is one of the primary back row defenders. Her defensive ability combined with her dominance in the front court has made Bruton one of the most unique players in state. Reaching 2,000 kills and 1,000 digs is something not many players in the state’s history have done.
“I wanted this last year to be one of my best,” Bruton said of her senior year. “I think my play on the court showed that. Our chemistry this year as a team was great on and off the court. I got to play with Jess (setter Jessica Tribble) who is my best friend and that was awesome to get to have her as my setter. To bring in Elyse and have her make the impact she made on this team to in her first year on the defensive side was huge also. Everything we did just seemed to work and I couldn’t have asked for a better year.”
The individual accolades for Bruton are nice to achieve, but her team comes first. The last three seasons she has helped Crawfordsville volleyball compile an overall record of 71-21. With her historic high school career now complete and after sharing player of the year honors a year ago with her cousin Laine Schlicher, this year Bruton stands alone as she is the 2022 Journal Review Volleyball Player of the Year.
“It’s going to be awfully tough for there to be another Macy here at Crawfordsville,” Crawfordsville coach Kelly Johnson said. “She was just simply phenomenal and worked extremely hard to get to where she is now. She has high expectations for herself and I think that what was special for us is being able to have our strongest offensive player also be our strongest defensive player. You don’t get that very often.”
Johnson who capped off a 39-year career at the helm of the Athenians routinely called Bruton “the best player I’ve ever coached”. She recalls the first time that her and her coaching staff saw Bruton play in middle school that the Athenians had a very special player coming up through the ranks.
“Some of my girls on the high school at the time asked if Macy could come up and play now,” Johnson said with a smile. “We were all excited when she finally got to us her freshman year. She came up with a lot of good athletes too. These seniors the last two years (12 total) really turned around this program and Macy played a huge role in doing that.”
On the flip side of things for Bruton it’s not everyday that someone gets to play for a coach who has been around the game as long as Johnson has. Bruton noted how she wouldn’t be the player that she is today without the leadership and guidance of Coach Johnson.
“These last four years have been amazing to play for her,” Bruton said. “She just knows what works and how to get the best out of everyone. Against some of our tougher opponents she always has a great game plan for us.”
While coming into her high school career, eventually leading the state in kills wasn’t necessarily something that Bruton was striving for but she knew that if that’s what was required of her for the Athenians to have success then she would take that challenge on.
“Other schools typically have a multiple really good hitters, but here I knew that I’d be relied on a ton to score,” Bruton said. “It was my job to put the ball down and I think with my numbers that I put up, it shows that I’m willing to do whatever it takes.”
The next step in her volleyball career will be another season with Circle City who continues to be one of the most prestigious club organizations in the state. Bruton has drawn interest from multiple Division I college programs who will get a closer look once her club season starts.
“One of my main goals for college is hopefully to be able to come in right away and play,” Bruton said. “If I just keep working during club and showing colleges what I can do on the court, I’ll be able to reach that goal.”
Johnson as well knows that Bruton is a D1 volleyball player.
“I feel like right now Macy is that diamond in the rough type player,” she said. “She’s starting to get some looks and calls from some teams. Great things are going to come her way and wherever she goes a program will be lucky to get her.”
Bruton this past year has simply been of the state’s most dominating players. The stats and accolades she accomplished not just this season but over the course of her career speak for themselves. The Athenians and Bruton have had themselves a journey and a player that will live on in school history.
