<p>Wrapping up our 1A regional breakdowns of the state of Indiana, we hit the northernmost communities in sections 49-52.</p>
<p><strong>Section 52: Pioneer</strong></p>
<p>Aside from the occasional anomaly, Pioneer owns this sectional. Most of the kids on this roster are multi-sport athletes, and our featured kid is no exception. <strong>Madison Blickenstaff (’21, 5-10, MB/OH)</strong> leads the Panthers in kills, averaging almost four per set, and is one of three primary attackers returning for Pioneer. </p>
<p><strong>Section 51: Lakewood Park Christian</strong></p>
<p>This is normally a section dominated by Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian, but not in ’19. LPC eked out a five-set thriller (15-13 in the fifth), with sophomore <strong>Haley Kruse (Empowered 16 Black, ’22, 5-7, OH/DS) </strong>it’s top returner. With only two seniors graduating for the Panthers, Kruse’s team lead of kills (357), digs (259) and aces (104) will be much needed for this young up-and-coming squad.</p>
<p><strong>Section 50: Triton</strong></p>
<p>The weakest of the four sections mentioned here, Triton was the only team to finish above .500 on the season. We like returner <strong>Abbey Viers (’21, 5-11, MB) </strong>for ’20, who led the Trojans in kills (over 3 per set) in ’19. With only one graduating from this squad, we like Triton’s chances for next fall.</p>
<p><strong>Section 49: Morgan Township</strong></p>
<p>Having a great run all the way to the state semifinal is a big deal for the Cherokees. Doing it again might take some work, as they graduate seven from the ’19 squad. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="85682" first="Emily" last="Rastovski"] (’21, Purdue commit)</strong> leads in so many areas, but she can’t do it alone. We’re looking forward to seeing softball stud <strong>Mallory Handley (’22, 5-5, S)</strong> make up for the graduation losses.</p>
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