Daughter of Olympic volleyball qualifier thriving in Wichita

There is one constant at Larkin family events.

Almost everyone in the family grew up with a volleyball in their hands, so reunions often can and do turn into tournaments.

“We can set up a court in our backyard and just play all day long,” Carroll sophomore Ella Larkin said.

Larkin is one of the Golden Eagles’ top players in 2018. She has power few other high school sophomores possess. It’s in her blood.

Larkin’s dad, Scott, started playing when he was 15. He went to Kapaun, and the school didn’t have a team, so he had to play outside of school. Soon, he was on his way to BYU to play in college, then off to Germany to play professionally.

And after a tryout, he was part of the U.S. National Team the year after the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

Scott didn’t compete at the Olympics after a shoulder injury, but he said he can remember the work that went into it even after he made the team.

“It was the hardest work of my life,” he said. “I just remember crawling up stairs trying to get back to the room just being so tired after practice. We would do it three times a day. It was brutal, but it was tons of fun putting on the red, white and blue.”

For Ella, growing up with volleyball was natural. That was always part of her life. She said she loves hearing about her dad’s volleyball stories.

“I love learning from him,” she said. “He has gone through so much with the game, playing in college. And that’s something I want to do, too.”

Ella’s mom, Jen, was a standout volleyball and basketball player at Carroll. Her sister, Julie, was, too. And Julie’s daughter, Riley Daugherty, is another standout sophomore for the Golden Eagles this season.

Like most sports at Carroll, volleyball is a family affair. And the team has history even with its coach, Rita Mernagh; she said she has known Ella since she was in kindergarten.

“She’s got a lot of her dad in her,” Mernagh said. “She could probably go to any sport and be one of their top players. She’s very humble and very positive. I don’t think she has an enemy.

“She’s just one in a million. One of those kids we’re lucky enough to get through Carroll.”

Carroll is 9-1 this season, with wins over perennial City League powers Kapaun and Northwest. The Golden Eagles won the Valley Center Invitational over two-time defending state champion Rose Hill and now sit in the driver’s seat for a league title.

Ella is one of the biggest reasons, among the tops on the team in kills this season, and that is pretty cool to watch for Scott, Jen and the Larkin family.

“She soaks it all up,” Jen said. “She’s pretty smart out there. She doesn’t just hit it hard. She watches the other team, and that to me is fun to watch, too.”

This story was originally published September 26, 2018 at 12:34 PM.