Chesterton's Luca Bombacino fires back over the net Saturday in Crown Point.
Alex Burr
CROWN POINT -- Luca Bombacino can always say she was Michigan's first commit of the 2027 class.
As soon as juniors were eligible to receive calls from college coaches, the Chesterton star's phone blew up. She received six phone calls June 15, and because of a club volleyball game, she was unable to return any of the calls that day.
So, the star outside hitter had to reschedule all six of the calls for the next week, when she was not as busy. Of those six phone calls, only two schools offered scholarships -- and neither was Michigan, her top choice.
After the two schools that offered scholarships to Bombacino gave her a week to decide, she wanted to at least make sure the Wolverines were still interested.
"I told them, 'I have offers from these other schools. I have to say yes or no by the end of this day. Are you planning on offering or not?'" Bombacino recalled.
People are also reading...
Michigan offered her a scholarship June 18. The next day, she visited another school that was interested, and she knew it was not the right fit.
"So I called the head coach and I just told her, 'I want to go there,'" Bombacino remembered telling Michigan's head coach.
Before a club practice, soon after the visit, she committed to Michigan.
"There's nowhere else I can see myself really," Bombacino said.
Throughout the whole recruiting process, Chesterton head coach Lindsay Nibert wanted to ensure that Bombacino cherished the opportunity because it was proof that her hard work had paid off.
"I think Michigan is the perfect spot for her," Nibert said.
The scholarship offer from Michigan has elevated the young hitter's confidence. If the junior, who compiled 325 kills and 72 aces in her sophomore season, is in a slump, knowing that Michigan's coach believes in her is enough to give her a jolt of confidence.
The boosted confidence helps Bombacino with her ball placement, too. She can afford to be a little more audacious when swinging, and if it doesn't turn into a kill, then it's on to the next play.
"If I mess up, I mess up, but if not, this is going to be a great shot that I can get a point for my team on," Bombacino said.
Nibert feels that even if Bombacino isn't too sure of herself on the court, she's a good enough athlete to overcome that battle.
"When it's game time, she's ready," Nibert said.
The Trojans will need every bit of Bombacino's improved confidence this season. Her 41 kills in 11 sets have already helped them to wins over North Central, Cathedral and Brownsburg at the Crown Point season-opening tournament Saturday. While Chesterton ultimately finished in second place in the tournament behind Crown Point, getting big wins is exhilarating for this group.
"Us and Cathedral always have a good battle, so it was really good to come out on top," Bombacino said before playing against Brownsburg and Crown Point Saturday morning.
This will be an important season for Chesterton. Several key players are seniors, including fellow dynamic hitter Tenley Davis and setter Abby Parrish. Chesterton has been winning with youth the last two seasons, starting with a nine-game winning streak in 2023 that included a win over a 32-5 LaPorte team, before eventually losing in the sectional final to Crown Point.
Last season, the team won its first sectional since 1977. While the Trojans lost to Penn in five sets in the regional round, they have something to prove this season. Nibert knows that -- and is adjusting her coaching this season accordingly.
"You don't really accept those mental errors as much," she said. "You also want to make sure that they're enjoying every moment of it...You get caught up in the wins and losses and the growth, and all that is great. But, just being happy to be here, and that's what I really want them to get out of this season."
Bombacino knows the stakes. It wouldn't be a Chesterton volleyball team without young talent -- the team will field two sophomores and a freshman in its rotation -- but the main players have years of chemistry built up.
"(Davis and I) have talked about this time and again, 'This is our year and this is when we can really make a difference,'" Bombacino said. "So we're trying to make the most of it any way we can, not taking (anything) for granted."
Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Alex Burr
Copy Editor
Author twitter Author email Follow Alex Burr Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification.
{{description}}
Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Don't have an account? Sign Up Today