Before we get to the 2026 Outside the Huddle All-Area Team and our end-of-year awards, Bounce wanted to take some time and take a last glance at area conferences and hand out some league-specific metaphorical hardware.
Today, we tackle the ACAC.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Konley Ault, Bluffton
What didn’t Konley Ault do this season for the Bluffton Tigers? She scored a program record 40 points in a game, she won the ACAC Tournament MVP while leading Bluffton to the tournament title, she surpassed 1,000 career points, was ICGSA First Team All-State, was an IBCA Player of the Week and was IBCA All-State. With that kind of resume, there doesn’t seem to be much need for reasoning on why Ault was Bounce’s pick to the ACAC Player of the Year.
During her 21.1 point, five rebound, 3.8 steal season, Ault scored over 20 points on 12 occasions, hitting in the 30s twice and the aforementioned 40 point outing in a win over Southwood. She did all of this while shooting 48 percent from the field, including a season best 82 percent on 14-of-17 shooting for 33 points against Mississinewa.
HONORABLE MENTION: Alyssa Anderson (Woodlan), Hallie Schwieterman (Jay County), Karsyn Schwieterman (Jay County)
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Alyssa Anderson, Woodlan
If you know Bounce’s awards and OTH history, you know MVP means something different than Player of the Year. MVP to us is someone who is legit the most valuable to their team and overall success of that program.
For a second straight season, teams had to really dig in on their game plan when it came to how they played Anderson. The six-foot senior was an absolute terror in the paint and pushed the Warriors along to another 14 win season and, this season, an ACAC regular season crown. She proved her extreme value over and over again for the Warriors, including 20 points and 17 rebounds against Bluffton and 17/15 against Jay County.
HONORABLE MENTION: Khloe Dick (Bluffton), Kate Fisher (Adams Central), Ana Lehman (South Adams), Kaylee Davis (Southern Wells)
BREAKOUT/MOST IMPROVED PLAYER: Karsyn Schwieterman, Jay County
Of course the name Schwieterman made waves this season and now Jay County has two of them. Karsyn Schwieterman had a lot of hype coming into high school just like her older sisters. Being able to transition from middle school to high school varsity though is always easier said that done, which is why we don’t see freshmen in massive roles most of the time.
Schwieterman was more than just your average freshman though as she immediately put herself on the radar across the state. She averaged 18.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.3 steals per game and altered almost every Jay County game this season. She scored 17 in her first career game and then in her second game, had the first of 10 games scoring in the 20s. She had a career best 31 points in a January win over Concordia, where she shot 11-of-15 from the field.
HONORABLE MENTION: Sophie Eisenhut (Bluffton), Liz Brunswick (Jay County), Kaylee Davis (Southern Wells)
COACH OF THE YEAR: Doug Curtis, Bluffton
Bluffton didn’t get their ACAC title and they didn’t get their Sectional title. But they did get an ACAC Tournament title and they did get the honor of being one of the toughest outs in Northeast Indiana every night. This team thrived all season, faced pressure and battled back. It is what teams do under Doug Curtis and have continued to do in the 2025-2026 season. They won by an average of just shy of 22 points per game. Bluffton scored in the 80s as many times as they scored less than 40 – twice.
It was an impressive run for the Tigers, complete with two seven game winning streaks. Curtis has developed the Bluffton girls well over his short tenure, but this season was another big step in making Bluffton a juggernaut in the area.
HONORABLE MENTION: David Randall (Woodlan), Sherri McIntyre (Jay County)
EARLY 2026-27 CONFERENCE CHAMP PICK: Bluffton Tigers
Bluffton just posted their second best record in the 2000s – the first being just a season ago. And despite losing Konley Ault, why wouldn’t Bluffton be right back in the picture right now since they won the ACAC Tournament and were considered the frontrunner to win the conference until they didn’t.
Ault was a major difference maker, averaging 21.1 points per game, but the team returns 42.2 points per game, which is still more than they gave up on average this season. There is a lot back and so much to be excited about in Bluffton into next season and this will be a big summer for them to prepare. No other player will leave the program to graduation, something that is super rare across the area.
Juniors Carlee Strunk, Sophie Eisenhut, Eden Nash and sophomores Khloe Dick and Kamryn Ault all played 17 or more minutes last season and bring back the Tiger leader in rebounding and blocks with Eisenhut.
These opinions represent those of Bounce and Outside the Huddle. No opinions expressed on Outside the Huddle represent those of any of our advertisers. Follow Bounce on Twitter at Bounce_OTH
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