Three Hamilton County boys volleyball teams are headed to the Indiana Boys Volleyball Coaches Association state finals.
All three teams hosted their own regional on Saturday – and won. Carmel, the defending state champion and second seed in the tournament, got a first-round bye, then beat No. 18 Hammond Bishop Noll 25-12, 25-9, 25-18 to win its regional.
Sixth-seeded Fishers also swept through its regional in straight sets, defeating No. 27 Perry Meridian 25-9, 25-9, 25-10 and No. 11 Guerin Catholic 25-14, 25-17, 25-11. The Golden Eagles beat No. 22 Lafayette Jefferson in the first round, 25-19, 25-19, 25-21.
Noblesville, the seventh-seed, cruised to a regional victory by beating No. 26 Tri-West 25-5, 25-6, 25-8 and No. 23 Herron 25-11, 25-12, 25-21.
Hamilton Southeastern, rated No. 19, fell to No. 14 Franklin Community in the first round. The score was 26-24, 20-25, 25-16, 25-18.
There were 29 teams that competed in the regional level. The first three seeds (Cathedral, Carmel and Roncalli) all had first-round byes.
The eight-team state championship will begin with the quarter-finals next Friday (May 18) at Southport. Carmel and Noblesville will play each other in an 6 p.m. match, with Fishers taking on No. 3 Roncalli in the night’s other 8 p.m. match. The winners of these matches will play in the semi-finals at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 19.
On the other side of the bracket, No. 1 Cathedral takes on No. 8 Brebeuf Jesuit at 6 p.m., with No. 4 Chesterton playing No. 5 Brownsburg at 8 p.m. Those winners will face off in the other semi-final, which is also set to begin at 11 a.m. The state championship match is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 19.
The Noblesville boys volleyball team won its own Indiana Boys Volleyball Coaches Association regional on Saturday. The Millers are one of three Hamilton County teams to win a regional and advance to next weekend’s state quarter-finals. (Photo provided)