Schools

Erika Ingels Plays the Leadership Role for Ladue's Volleyball Team

Senior plans to study pre-medicine in the South next year. Leads the team in all statistical categories.

Erika Ingels is a senior at Ladue Horton Watkins High School, and already she knows what she wants to do career wise.

She wants to be a Forensic Pathologist, and hopes to ply that trade in the Dallas Police Department or something like that someday.

Ingels is the senior star and captain of the vastly-improved 13-4 Ladue volleyball team. She leads the team in all statistical categories including kills, (90), assists (123) and aces (33).

Her coach, Roberta McCaffery has her kind of set up like an extra coach on the court. Ingels relishes that leadership roll. “I have played so long, I feel like I really have something to offer the team,” she said.

Here’s a sit-down Q & A with this volleyball standout.

Patch.com: What is the difference between this year and last.

Erika Ingels: Last year was more difficult. We were younger and we’ve been together all the time so this year is much better.

Patch: Are you a four year player.

Ingels: Not here. I cheered my first year but I’ve been playing Club starting my 7th year. She plays for H2 St. Louis.

Patch: at 5-foot-6 you are not the tallest player. Where do they have you.

Ingels: Primarily, I am a defensive specialist and the setter. And I do outside hit.

Patch: Let’s talk a little bit about the season. How is your coach doing.

Ingels: She is an amazing coach. She has us doing a lot more skills than conditioning. We hustle enough in practice that we are all well conditioned.

Patch: Who is playing well on the starting team.

Ingels talks about her teammates:

  • Olivia Adkins is our other setter. She is fabulous. She is a sophomore and I kind of took her in. She has such athletic talent. We mesh together very well.
  • Christina Shaw, senior is more of the off-the-court team leader. She is a great defensive player and a fabulous Libero.
  • Julia Sachs is a sophomore and an outside hitter. She is young and she can get a little unfocused but its easy to bring her back in.
  • Our two middles are 6-foot-0 Katherine DeBoer, a senior and 5-foot 8 Emma Conrad, a junior and she came up from JV last year. “She has one of the fastest arm swings I’ve ever seen.”

Patch: What are your thoughts about a college choice.

Ingles: I applied to Ole Miss as a safety school, but I won’t play volleyball there. I will be returning somewhere in the South. UT-Dallas is a Division II I have in mind.

Patch: If you are pre-med, I suspect there must be a doctor in the family.

Ingels:  Yes, there are two doctors in the family.  Peggy Ingels-Allred works at Washington UniversitySchool of Medicine in the neuro muscular division and step dad is Craig Allred and he’s in breast cancer pathology at Wash U.

Patch: What do you like best about volleyball.

Ingels: Volleyball is so fast. Every play is quick and you have to be perfect. Timing and hand-eye coordination is so important. When played right, the sport is beautiful. I just love the overall competitiveness of the game. One person can never lead a team by them self. 

Patch: This has been an up beat season for the team.

Ingels: Yes it has. We are so meshed together. Its been great to work together so far.


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