ARCHBOLD, Ohio — Archbold senior outside hitter Keely Culler has made the volleyball gym her comfort zone since the age of 11.
When she leaps above the net with her dynamic 10-foot-plus reach, there is no feeling like taking a perfect set and getting a pure connection on the ball.
As an outside hitter, though, a big part of playing the position is taking balls not on top of the net and making the most of them. Culler's improvement in handling with those situations, coupled with her athleticism and power, has made her one of the most feared outside hitters in the Toledo area.
“It's called a junk hitter, because as an outside hitter, you get the out-of-system balls and it's just like a Hail Mary and it's just like get this in the court and try to score off this,” Culler said. “I like the responsibility of that and being able to get my hands on a lot of balls in a set and trying to dominate as much as I can.”
Culler is averaging 5.5 kills per set with a hitting percentage of .459, which ranks ninth in the state of Ohio, according to MaxPreps.
She has developed the ability to read the opposition quickly and react accordingly.
“If it's a good set, and I know I'm just going to rip at the ball, I'll look at the block in front of me and either tool off of their hands or take the opening,” she said. “If it's an out-of-system ball, I'll look behind the block and see where on the court I can put the ball.”
Culler is the daughter of Debbie Culler, a former collegiate volleyball player at Youngstown State who is now the head coach of Archbold. Debbie said Keely always favored softball and basketball as an elementary-age kid, but once volleyball entered her athletic pursuits, the other sports faded to the background.
When Keely Culler was 11, she enrolled at Defiance Volleyball Club. As a former high-level volleyball player, Debbie Culler believed she would know pretty quickly whether her daughter had the natural skill and ability to be successful.
Within a few tournaments, it became quite clear Keely had the proverbial “it” factor.
“It was like, 'Oh yeah, she's got it,’” Debbie Culler said “At age 11, it wasn't strength like you see now. It was spring. She had the ability to jump. She made plays at the net that no one had taught her. Her body took over. You could see the athleticism, and there was some elite potential there. But I wanted to make sure she loved it. Because if you don't have a love for it, you won't make it far. You have to have a passion for it. We saw it that first year.”
The love for the game quickly developed for Keely Culler, who said once she got the volleyball itch, she immediately identified that she wanted to play in college.
There was something natural about the sport that suited her abilities and fueled her desire to be great.
“It just feels like home,” she said. “I feel like when I go in the gym I can be in there every single day, and I'd be happy with it.”
Keely Culler played on varsity as a freshman, and through hard work during the high school season and dedicated training with her club programs — which have included Defiance Volleyball Club, Toledo Volleyball Club, and Legacy Volleyball Club — in the offseason, she began to gain strength and power on her hits and her leaping ability took off.
Bryan Lindstrom, director of Legacy Volleyball Club, said he first became aware of Keely Culler when she was a sophomore.
“When she showed up as a sophomore to our tryouts, she was just electric,” Lindstrom recalled. “She jumps really high, and she is just a springy kid. And then her arm makes the ball pop. She also has one of the better top-spin jump serves that you don't see a whole lot at the high school level. Her top-spin jump serve is good enough for her to go and be a defensive kid/serving specialist at a top school. She is going to end up hitting in college, but she is that good with her top-spin serve.”
At 5-foot-11, Keely Culler can now extend her reach to about 10-foot-1, which Lindstrom said puts her in the mix with the top Division I college recruits. Culler originally committed to Florida Gulf Coast, but has since decommitted and re-opened her recruitment.
“She's not signed yet, but it's just a matter of time because, with the portal and everything that happens in college, she is going to get heavily recruited,” Lindstrom said. “She's already had interest throughout the fall, but she is definitely a Division I-level hitter with the way she gets up and jumps. She hits the benchmarks and has all the tools.”
Debbie Culler said the journey of watching Keely develop not only as a high school volleyball player at Archbold, but as her daughter has been extremely rewarding. But it hasn't been without its challenges. From her decision to de-commit from Florida Gulf Coast to the mother-daughter and coach-player dynamic in the spotlight at a small high school, there have been unexpected trials and tribulations.
But Keely Culler has put in the necessary work behind the scenes to get better and will likely soon be rewarded with a college scholarship and an opportunity to play Division I volleyball.
“Helping to grow every single player while you have a daughter in the program is a challenge,” Debbie Culler said. “Promoting a player like Keely while you have a whole program is a challenge with fans and parents in a small school. But there are also a lot of blessings. I also think it's been the best thing for her to grow through as well as for myself. I know she hasn't picked her school yet, but I feel like she has already accomplished so much and I think there is even another level for her to reach.”
Keely Culler has emerged as a leader at Archbold and became the program's all-time leader in kills, reaching that milestone as a junior.
Since she began her volleyball journey, Keely Culler's intentions have always been to play at the highest level possible in college. Lindstrom has no doubt she is ready for that challenge.
“You look at her and she comes from a super-small school and a super-small town and everybody kind of looks up to her,” Lindstrom said. “She doesn't shy away from that when she gets in front of bigger crowds on bigger stages. She brings it. She stays in her small town, and she is who she is, and it works for her, and people follow her.”
First Published September 19, 2024, 10:16 a.m.
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