INDIANAPOLIS — It’s known unofficially as the “libero neighborhood,” a line of three houses in an Indianapolis subdivision belonging to the families of Texas senior Emma Halter, LSU sophomore Aly Kirkhoff and 2026 West Virginia commit Reagan Turk.
The three grew up together, played club with Team Indiana then starred at Roncalli High School, before continuing their careers at the Division I level.
They’re like family, said Turk, who was first connected with her Royal predecessors through her older sisters. She recalls Kirkhoff taking her to practice and taking care of her as an underclassman and when Halter (described by Turk as her “oldest sister”) surprised the team ahead of the 2024 state championship match — she was wearing a Reagan Turk shirt.
“Emma, Aly and I have that extra special bond through volleyball which has been amazing,” the 5-6 senior continued. “I’ve always looked up to them and had them by my side.”
Not unlike the other two, Turk is intrinsically motivated and impressively talented at keeping the play alive, coach Christina Erazmus observed. And perhaps most importantly, she’s consistent, level-headed; the type of athlete with a knack for making the tough plays in the most stressful situations.
But despite the similarities — in terms of both individual skills and statistically — Turk forged her own path within a Roncalli program that’s steeped in tradition at her position.
Perfection was the standard for No. 19, Roncalli senior outside hitter Lily Jones said, explaining: “You don’t understand how good she is until she’s not perfect. She’s so dominant (and) so vocal at her position. … She’s an amazing player.”
A 5-6 multi-sport athlete (volleyball and basketball), Turk was a defensive specialist behind Kirkhoff her first two seasons, then earned the libero jersey as a junior, recording 311 digs and 37 aces through 95 sets for the undefeated state champions.
Turk was excellent in 2024, but she truly came into her own as a senior, registering 522 digs and committing just 21 errors on 362 receptions. She was especially brilliant at the service line, scoring 60 aces and 284 points with an astounding 96.4 serve percentage for the now-two-time defending Class 3A state champion Royals.
The 2025 IndyStar ALL-USA Central Indiana Player of the Year, Turk proved capable of altering a match from the back line and was integral to Roncalli’s tournament run, one which routed it through No. 7 New Palestine, No. 2 Cathedral, No. 4 Brownstown Central and No. 8 Tri-West before the finale vs. Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger.
“Reagan is the kind of kid that every coach dreams of having in their gym,” Erazmus said of Turk, who finished her high school career with 1,193 digs, 143 aces (95.1 serve percentage) and 240 assists. “She’s learned from the best, but she also is her own person, who cares about everyone and that’s why she turned out the way she did. … She’s a special kid and we were blessed to have her for four years.”
Turk’s move to defensive specialist as a middle schooler was inspired, in part, by Halter and Kirkhoff. And also the fact she was short and couldn’t really jump, which made it obvious, she quipped, that setting “probably wasn’t going to be my friend.”
“Those two are amazing at what they do and I wanted to be amazing at what I do, so I picked up DS and ran with it,” she said.
Erazmus contends that if Turk were a few inches taller, she would be a standout six-rotation player. As it is, the future Mountaineer is a model libero.
Distinguished by her body control, consistency and composure, Turk out-performed a number of senior Division I commits to earn a varsity spot as a freshman, then had the coaching staff pondering placing Kirkhoff at middle back and letting Turk play left back based on her defensive prowess.
“Every game she has one of those plays that everyone is like, ‘Oh my gosh, Reagan, you’re amazing,'” said junior Ella Stone, who first played with Turk as a fifth grader. “We all knew it, but she proves herself to us every time.”
There’s also the leadership component, Stone continued, citing her longtime teammate’s constant communication, be it pointing out which spots are open while on the floor or cheering on her teammates and shouting advice from the bench. “She’s naturally a great leader.”
Turk’s ability to impact a match became increasingly obvious through this year’s state tournament.
In danger of falling behind, 2-0, to Brownstown Central in the semistate semifinal, Turk talked up her teammates in the huddle as the second set dragged into extra points. She would start off by telling them what they needed to work on, Stone said, then bring the mood back up by telling them, “I know we can do this. I trust all of you. Let’s just play for each other.”
Turk’s play that afternoon was brilliant, as well.
A week after scoring 15 digs in a four-set win over rival Cathedral, she registered 36 with zero errors and 14 error-less receptions vs. the Braves.
Erazmus recalled Brownstown Central coach Jennifer Shade crediting Turk with winning the match for Roncalli during a post-season awards meeting, rare praise for a libero.
Turk helped swing a five-set win in the state quarterfinals, then sparked a dominating sweep of Tri-West later that night (five aces, 14 points, 16 digs). She closed out her high school career vs. Dwenger at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, where once again, every time it appeared the Saints were ready to pull away and take a set off the defending champs, their burst of momentum was stifled by Turk, who finished the match with one ace, 12 points and 17 digs in the 3-0 victory.
“Reagan picked up balls that weren’t even hers. She would take half the court,” Erazmus said. “She kept us going, kept the other team from scoring and kept them from getting big kills when they had all the momentum.”
In what was her final high school point, Turk completed a diving pass to fellow senior Addie Phillips, who set the ball to Jones for the title-clinching kill.
“Playing for Roncalli has meant the world,” Turk said. “It feels like just yesterday I was coming in as a second grader for CYO night, running on the court and stuff like that, so it’s bittersweet. I have nothing but love for this program, these girls who are in it, the coaches, the managers that give all their time, the fans, community — everything is amazing. I couldn’t be more thankful.”
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: ALL-USA Central Indiana volleyball 2025 Player of Year: Roncalli’s Reagan Turk
Reporting by Brian Haenchen, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
