Volleyball sectionals: Millers, Golden Eagles, Blackhawks, Trailblazers advance to semifinals

The REPORTER

Volleyball sectionals began for Hamilton County teams on Thursday.

Westfield is hosting Class 4A Sectional 8, which began with Noblesville sweeping Fishers 25-19, 25-20, 27-25. The Millers improved to 21-11 with the victory, while the Tigers finished their season 18-15.

In the second match, Zionsville beat Carmel in four sets, 25-22, 21-25, 25-22, 25-21. The Greyhounds did push the Eagles in the third set, coming back from a large deficit before Zionsville won the set.

Carmel continued to battle in the fourth set, with sophomore Emily Overbeck hitting a pair of kills. Senior Noema Philistin-Lynch made a huge block that was part of a four-point Greyhounds run, getting them within 22-19.

Carmel finished the season 9-21, but first-year coach Jonni Parker believes the future is bright for the Hounds.

“I don’t think the record reflects of where we are going, and I’m very excited for the next hopefully several years with this program and that they showcase with our athletes coming back,” said Parker. “Our seniors did a really nice job leading the program this year, helping me get acquainted as the first year.” Parker also said there will be “some really nice young leaders and players” contributing to the team over the next several years.

The sectional continues Saturday morning with semifinal matches. Host Westfield takes on Noblesville at 11 a.m., to be followed by Zionsville facing two-time defending state champion Hamilton Southeastern. The championship match is set for 6 p.m.

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Guerin Catholic began play in Class 3A Sectional 27 at Brebeuf Jesuit Thursday with a sweep of Crawfordsville.

The Golden Eagles won 25-22, 25-12, 25-17. Guerin Catholic improved to 14-17 with the victory and will play the host Braves in Saturday’s second semifinal. The first match begins at 11 a.m., between Danville and Tri-West. The championship match starts at 6 p.m.

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Sheridan traveled to Taylor to start play in Class 2A Sectional 39, beating Elwood in four sets.

The Blackhawks were victorious 25-11, 25-6, 18-25, 25-16 and got their first sectional victory in 12 years. Trinity Parkin led Sheridan’s offense with 15 kills, while Kenzie Garner hit nine kills. Lainey Mendenhall put down seven kills, with Nova Cross, Adria Jump and Beth Adams each hitting three. Jump dished out 27 assists.

Parkin and Garner both hit five aces for the Hawks, with Garner serving 19 points out of 23 attempts. Cross and Adams both hit two aces, with Krupp and Jump serving one each.

Cross led the defense with 13 digs, followed by Garner with 11 and Krupp with 10. Jump collected six digs, while Parkin and Ali Pickard both had five. Garner made five solo blocks and Mendenhall had one block.

Sheridan is now 18-10 for the season and takes on Tipton Saturday in the second semifinal. The first semifinal, set for 11 a.m., will feature Frankton and Lapel. The championship match begins at 6 p.m.

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University played in the opening match of Class 2A Sectional 42 at Cardinal Ritter, beating Monrovia in a five-set match.

The Trailblazers won the back-and-forth contest 25-12, 19-25, 25-17, 23-25, 15-6. The win moves University to 12-11 for the season and advances the Blazers to a semifinal with Riverside on Saturday, beginning at 11 a.m. The second match will follow, between Park Tudor and Covenant Christian, with the championship match set for 6 p.m.

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Hamilton Heights was dealt a tough loss by Class 3A Sectional 24 host New Castle in a Thursday first-round game.

The Huskies fell to the Trojans in five sets, 25-27, 12-25, 25-21, 26-24, 15-11. The Huskies finished their season 25-5.