Why Charlotte Vinson 'fell in love with IU' volleyball over top programs around the nation

MUNCIE, Ind. — Charlotte Vinson could've played college volleyball in any region of the country, yet she'll stay close to home.

Yorktown's rising junior on July 7 announced on Twitter her verbal commitment to continue her academic and athletic career at Indiana University. The 2022 IHSVCA Class 4A First Team All-State selection has been a top underclassmen prospect during her two-year varsity career, and this summer further solidified her dominance with an AAU 18U national title and All-American honors while playing for Munciana.

So when schools could officially begin recruiting her after June 15, interest was plentiful. The 6-foot-2 hitter was contacted by programs from everywhere — UCLA, Penn State, Florida, North Carolina and Northwestern, to name a few — yet she chose a less prestigious Hoosiers program, hoping to help lay a new winning foundation with her family in attendance.

Charlotte already has 820 career kills and can now focus on enjoying her final two years as a Tiger, in which she hopes to capture a state title after coming up just short in 2022.

"It was, honestly, just a relief to finally know where I'm going," Charlotte said. "I think it was just kind of a weight lifted off my shoulders a little bit."

Like many other highly-touted players before her, the process of recruitment was a hectic one, even if her decision came earlier than most. She leaned on the experience of her older sister, Kate, who signed to play at Ball State in 2019, and parents and coaches who had experience handling the process.

"I say to them, 'It's kind of like you're dating,'" Yorktown head coach Stephanie Bloom said. "They're trying to pursue you and you're trying to pursue them and it's kind of awkward and weird and not letting their identity get wrapped up in it, good or bad, because that's the hard part."

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Charlotte stayed true to her desires and didn't shift her priorities based on coaches' pitches or outside opinions. She admitted that some were surprised by her decision to join a program that last notched a winning season in 2018, but she's confident in both her and the Hoosiers' future.

Her mother, Erin, an IU alumna, said Charlotte had a "clear vision" of what she wanted from the start, and part of that was creating something new rather than continuing a tradition.

"I think I was probably more overwhelmed by it than she was. She stayed, at least externally, pretty calm, cool and collected," Erin said. "She wanted to find a place where she could contribute, hopefully, early in her college career, and also … she wanted to be a part of building a program."

Charlotte said she "fell in love with IU" during an on-campus visit. It wasn't just the feeling of touring the grounds and facilities — the coaching staff shares her desire to "do things that they've never done before," like winning the program's first Big Ten title.

Head coach Steve Aird and his staff see Charlotte as a cornerstone piece of the team's future. That's certainly an enticing thought for any recruit, but Charlotte was also assured of Aird's commitment to improve through the program's recent talent acquisitions.

A pair of freshmen on the Hoosiers team this season are former teammates of Charlotte's Munciana club team: Ramsey Gary (Pendleton Heights) and Ava Vickers (Fishers). Charlotte said they, with their winning know-how and culture-creating approaches, are the types of players she wanted to share the court with at the next level, so she believes IU is already trending upward.

"Head coach Steve was talking to me about how just in the past few years their culture has shifted to, 'We're there to win and not just do school and volleyball is kind of on the side,'" Charlotte said. "I just think that they want in their gym competition and they've just brought in people that want to get better and want to make the program better."

Playing in the Big Ten was one of Charlotte's top factors, too. She believes it's the "best of the best," the type of competition she wants to face on a nightly basis.

Being in such a conference also provides its athletes with lucrative opportunities. Charlotte said IU has developed an NIL program that, while not a deciding factor in her overall decision, offers a "cool perk" to being a student-athlete.

In the meantime, she's excited to re-focus her energy on helping the Tigers. Bloom, who played at Ball State, is thrilled to have her latest D-I player staying within driving distance and is confident Charlotte will thrive because of her "unique" combination of talent and mindset.

"I think she is just hungry to always get better and be her best. I don't know that there's too much time for her in the gym. I think she could do reps and spend hours in a gym and be just happy as a clam," Bloom said. "She's such a worker, but she also just has such an upside. As she continues to grow into her body and get stronger, she's only gonna get better.

"She's one of the most humble players that I've ever coached. And I think that people watch her and are like, 'Wow, she's so good,' but she's such a great teammate and she's easy to cheer for because she's never about herself. For me, it just makes me really proud of her that here she is the day that coaches can call and IU's calling and offering her a full ride and wanting to build their entire program around her, and yet she's in our gym owning mistakes and encouraging people and just always about the team."

Charlotte and Erin credited Bloom and the Munciana coaches for nurturing Charlotte's progression and helping put her in position to be able to have her pick of universities.

"I think just having a lot of truly amazing supporters around her — coach Bloom at Yorktown and then also her coaches at Munciana, Mike and Alyssa Lingenfelter," Erin said, "They have all been very instrumental in keeping her grounded and helping her through the process, talking through options with her, getting to know her as a player and where she might fit."

Gus Martin is a sports reporter at The Star Press. Follow him on Twitter @GusMartin_SP, and contact him at gmartin@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Indiana volleyball: Yorktown junior hitter Charlotte Vinson commits