By RICHIE HALL
The only sure thing about this week’s Class 4A Sectional 8 volleyball tournament is that it will be exciting.
This sectional is known for its unpredictable nature. Five different schools have won the championship over the past five years. Carmel had a streak of three in a row from 2012 to 2014, but since then, the trophy has gone to a different team each year: Hamilton Southeastern (2015), Westfield (2016), Noblesville (2017) and Fishers (2018).
The tournament begins Thursday with the host Millers and the Tigers playing each other at 6 p.m. That contest will be followed by a match between the Royals and the Shamrocks.
The Greyhounds got a first-round bye, and face the Noblesville-Fishers winner in the first Saturday morning semi-final at 11 a.m. The second semi-final, features the Southeastern-Westfield winner taking on Zionsville. The Eagles are back in Sectional 8 after four years in Sectional 7, during which they won four consecutive championships there.
The Millers are 11-20 for the season, while the Tigers are 13-13. The two Hoosier Crossroads Conference teams met back on Sept. 5, with Fishers sweeping Noblesville 25-17, 25-10, 25-17.
Noblesville will be led by its sensational hitter Lexie Almodovar. The senior leads in hitting with 4.9 kills and on defense with 10.5 digs per match.
Junior Rose Crist is next in the hitting department, with 2.8 kills per set. Sophomore Ella Peter leads in blocks with 2.2 per match, while freshman Diana Cox has been solid on defense with 9.4 digs per match.
Two juniors are leading the hitting for the Tigers, with Jada Allen averaging 2.4 kills per set and Emily Waldrop averaging 2.0. Allen, senior Grace Dunnuck and freshman Ava Vickers all have been strong at the net, averaging over three blocks per match. Senior Bryn Roberts has been collecting 12.1 digs per match, with junior Camryn Haworth and senior Emily Brewer leading in assists.
The Royals will come into their match with a 23-4 record and an undefeated HCC championship. In the MaxPreps volleyball rankings, Southeastern is rated No. 4 in Indiana and No. 42 nationally.
Westfield is 21-10. The Royals won the regular-season match-up in straight sets, 25-13, 25-16, 25-17. But the Shamrocks have had good results over the season, twice going on six-match win streaks.
“It is a dangerous sectional as it is every year,” said Southeastern coach Jason Young. “Westfield is playing well lately with wins over Fishers, Cathedral and Brownsburg.”
Young noted that Zionsville is also a “dangerous” and “extremely well coached team,” with a good result at the Crown Point Invitational and a recent sweep of Avon.
“The Royals are playing well and I am very happy with the team chemistry going into the tournament,” said Young. “I think the next few days of practice will be critical to fully prepare for the challenge ahead. The last three years have ended in disappointment and we are hopeful to reverse that trend this week.”
Southeastern’s big hitters are junior Delaney Garner and seniors Abby Weber and Grace Hunter, all of whom are averaging over 2.5 kills per set. Garner is also solid at the net, with 3.3 blocks per match. Junior Carly Mills has well over 15 digs per match, with junior Olivia Phillips and sophomore Emily Weber each handing out around five assists per set.
“Our sectional is consistently among the most competitive in the state,” said Westfield coach Sandra Burks. “We have played all of the teams in our sectional this season, and we are aware of the high quality of volleyball needed to defeat any opponent.”
“We finished the regular season with wins over traditional top Indiana programs in Cathedral, Avon and Fishers. Many of our players have stepped up to create a balanced attack; we are looking forward to playing HSE this Thursday.”
Junior Kenzie Daffinee is averaging 3.4 kills per set, with senior Anna Johnsey and junior Katie Sweet also getting over two kills per set. Johnsey also averages 2.6 blocks per match. Juniors Peighton Isley (13.1 digs per match) and Ellary Detamore (11.7 digs per match) are consistent on defense, with junior Sarah Weglarz averaging around three digs per set as well. Weglarz and sophomore Logan Mapes both hand out well over nine assists per set.
Carmel is 21-10, and ranked ninth in Class 4A (11th overall) on MaxPreps’ state rankings. The Greyhounds are 21-10 for the season.
“Our sectional is tough across the board,” said Carmel coach Kristine Deem. “We expect to see a lot of great volleyball in sectional No. 8. We are taking the opportunity having drawn the bye to be fully prepared for the winner of the Noblesville/Fishers match. Our girls have been focusing a lot through the season on playing as a single unit and we have continued to ramp that up as we enter the post season.
The Greyhounds have been led in hitting by sophomore Macarty McQueen and two seniors, Gabby Smith and Anne Lesure, all of whom are averaging ahead of two kills per set. Smith is also 2.4 blocks per match. Senior Maria Zweig has been solid on defense, picking up 12.1 digs per set. Lesure and sophomore Ella Bostic are dishing out five assists per set.
Zionsville is 23-6 for the season. Junior Sydney Aguirre averages 3.7 kills per set, while senior Anna Murphy is a force on defense, with 22.4 digs per match. Junior Morgan Pressler has been getting two blocks per match, while senior Katie Kirkendol has been averaging 10.2 assists per set.
CLASS 3A TEAMS HEAD TO BREBEUF
Guerin Catholic and Hamilton Heights will play in Class 3A Sectional 26 at Brebeuf Jesuit.
Both teams got the bye, so they will not play until the Saturday morning semi-finals. The Golden Eagles will play the winner of Thursday’s first-round match between the Braves and Bishop Chatard, while the Huskies will take on the winner of the Manual-Shortridge match, also to be played on Thursday.
Guerin Catholic is 6-18. Senior Izzie McGuinness leads in kills with around three per set, and has been getting 1.2 blocks per match, while seniors Sophie Thomas is collecting over seven digs per match. Senior Ashley Utnage has 4.5 assists per set.
Heights is 10-13 for the season. Sophomores Kelsey Smith is averaging 2.7 kills per set, with Jordan Fryman hitting 2.3 per set. Sophomore Lexi Hayden has been strong at the net with 3.3 blocks per match, followed by freshman Kami Skiles with 2.5, Fryman with 2.4 and Smtih with 2.1.
The Huskies have several strong defenders in senior Caroline Ward (22.1 digs per match), sophomore Katie Mottweiler (18.9), Smith (13.7) and senior Kennedy McGill (13.7). Smith leads in assists with 4.1 per set.
As for the other teams, Brebeuf Jesuit is 18-8 and No. 10 in MaxPreps’ 3A rankings, while Bishop Chatard is 16-16. Shortridge is 12-8, while Manual’s full record is unavailable.
SHERIDAN HOSTING IN 2A, UNIVERSITY PLAYING THERE
Sheridan is the host of the five-team Class 2A Sectional 43. University will also be playing in the sectional, its first in 2A.
Heritage Christian and Park Tudor play the opener on Thursday, the only match that night. The Blackhawks will take on Western Boone in the first semi-final on Saturday morning, with the Trailblazers playing the Thursday winner.
Sheridan is 8-23 for the season. Junior Allie Delph and senior Becca Merritt each have 1.7 kills per set. Merritt and senior Cheyenne Brooks have been dominant at net, with Merritt making 6.8 blocks per match and Brooks getting 6.1. Sophomore Taylor Bates has 2.8 per match. Delph is averaging 4.3 digs per match.
University holds a 16-8 record. Senior Stella Behforouz is averaging three kills per set, while sophomore Jillian Sager is serving around one ace per set. Behfourouz also leads the defense with 10.3 digs per match, and Sager is collecting 9.1 per match.
The sectional will be tough, as Heritage Christian (23-4) is ranked third in MaxPreps’ 2A ratings, Western Boone (20-9) is fifth and Park Tudor (19-6) is 11th.
Hamilton Southeastern’s Carly Mills is averaging over 15 digs per match for the Royals. Southeastern plays Westfield Thursday night in the first round of the Noblesville sectional. (Kirk Green/File photo)