Columbus North libero Morgan Osborn, right, gets in position as Kenna Conrad (24) digs out a serve during a match against Bloomington North Aug. 29 at Columbus North High School.
The Republic file photo
At 4-foot-11, Morgan Osborn doesn’t fit the mold of a prototypical volleyball player.
But in her first year at Columbus North, the sophomore has found a home in the back row as the Bull Dogs’ libero. She has been a major reason North is enjoying its first winning season since 2016.
“She’s made a huge impact,” North coach Jenna Ortega said. “I think her leadership on and off the court and just her overall knowledge of volleyball is something that I feel like we might have lacked in the past, and she brings all that. She is aware of what’s happening on the court. She is seeing a lot of things that a lot of people aren’t seeing. I think a lot of where our success is coming from, she’s a huge part of that.”
Last year, Osborn was the setter for Brown County, where her mother Jessica Richardson was the head coach. But Richardson resigned as the Eagles coach in the spring, and her family moved to Columbus over the summer, leading Osborn to enroll at North.
The main reason for the move was so that Osborn, who is dyslexic, could have access to more programs at a larger school.
“I think at first, we were worried about it being a bigger school and her being settled in Brown County and kind of getting the things she needed to help,” Richardson said. “But when she got here, from Day 1, when we walked into a spring workout with the girls, it was just comfortable. We felt like we knew people, and they knew us. We just kind of fit it, and when it came to school stuff, it was the same thing. It’s been awesome.”
Osborn recalls being diagnosed with dyslexia when she was in third grade.
“We went to Indy to get some tests done, and when we got the text message that I have dyslexia, we knew that was going to change my schooling and volleyball,” Osborn said. “It was going to change a lot of stuff, so it was hard to get that text. But I’ve kind of adapted to it.”
Osborn has had to figure out a way to study for tests.
“I can do one thing for a certain subject, but then I have to do another thing for another,” Osborn said. “When I have to read out loud, it gives me quite a bit of anxiety, but I really push myself to be able to read in class because I want to get better at being able to talk in front of people.”
Morgan Osborn
With dyslexia, being able to communicate effectively sometimes in an issue, and Osborn has been working through that both in the classroom and on the volleyball court.
“Sometimes, I feel misunderstood,” Osborn said. “But when it comes to it, I have to think of another way to say something to where it will be understood more.”
Meanwhile, Robertson landed an assistant coaching spot on Ortega’s staff at North.
“I had called Jenna to get her spring and summer schedule so I could start planning for (Osborn), knowing that we were going to be moving at the very beginning of summer,” Richardson said. “(Ortega) asked me if I was still coaching, and I said, ‘Well, I was going to hang up my hat for a little bit,’ and she said, ‘I have an open spot if you’re interested,’ so I did a little bit of thinking and decided I’d do it.”
On Saturday, Osborn recorded 40 digs in four two-set matches to help the Bull Dogs win Hauser’s Heritage Days Classic. She now has 353 digs for the season.
Before she graduates, Osborn hopes to challenge the single-season school record of 535 and the career school record of 1,051, both set by Maddy Sebahar in 2017. Counting her freshman year at Brown County, Osborn now has more than 500 digs for her career.
“My goal was to get 350 because then it puts me to being on the right track to get 1,000 digs by my senior year,” Osborn said.
The Bull Dogs are 14-9 going into Thursday’s game at Columbus East. They then have three home games next week to close the regular season before playing in the Franklin Sectional.
“We’ve had our ups and downs,” Osborn said. “But with having new people come in, it’s been pretty good. Our record doesn’t show that we’re doing very good, but we’re improving a lot during the season.”
Osborn, who plays club volleyball, for The Academy Boilers 15-2 team, is hoping to play in college and possibly beyond.
“I actually would like to go D-I,” Osborn said. “I also would like to play pro if I make it. If not, I would like to coach because I get to give my knowledge of the game to people younger.”
