2A State Final: Seniors (Barr-Reeve) v Sophomores (Wapahani)

<p>We made it! Despite COVID’s best efforts, the Hoosier State made it to the state championship (almost) unscathed. From the middle of August, we have had everything from contact tracing to injuries, and from coronavirus to quarantines. Yet here we are, ready to crown a new 2A champion in the state of Indiana. Here are the teams, and the players that will make a difference starting at 1:30pm on Saturday.</p> <p><strong>Barr-Reeve, 34-3</strong></p> <p>For this senior-led team, they might earn their second state championship during their time in high school. Led by <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="85713" first="Anna" last="Ballengee"] (’21, Southern Indiana commit), </strong>this first-team all-state honoree from a year ago finally got past the Eagles of Heritage Christian and can set her sights on her last high school match being the biggest. Her five kills per set and three digs per set are huge for the Vikings, but she’s not alone. Fellow all-state honoree <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="101372" first="Addison" last="Ainscough"] (’21, 5-11, OH)</strong> is second on the team in kills, averaging about three and a half per set. She’s also #2 in aces (40) and #2 in digs (3.7/set). And if that isn’t enough, there’s libero <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="108865" first="Jasye" last="Thompson"] (’21, 5-6, DS), </strong>who paces all players in digs with five per set and nearly 500 on the season. These three seniors have a great chance to go out on top.</p> <p><strong>Wapahani, 28-5</strong></p> <p>When their lone senior, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="95742" first="Mallory" last="Summers"], </strong>went down in early October, the Raiders were more concerned with her health than the remainder of the season. With the toughest parts out of the way, Miss Summers is now an emotional leader for this ultra-young squad of sophomores, who, oddly enough, have been leading all along. The five-set thriller featured a pair of Raiders surpassing 20 kills each. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="85905" first="Chloe" last="Cook"] (’23, 5-9, OH) </strong>is tops in kills for the team, at just over three per set. She finished with 25 this past Saturday. Then there’s <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="95740" first="Camryn" last="Wise"] (’23, 5-10, MB), </strong>who’s right behind Miss Cook in kills (2.9/set), but is the top Raider in hitting percentage (.310), aces (80!) and blocks (.7/set). She added 23 kills and hit over .400 in the state semifinal this past Saturday. Oh, and did I mention <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="85901" first="Reese" last="Baker"] (’23, 5-4, DS)?</strong> Yet another sophomore leading the way in another category, with four and a half digs per set. She’s also #2 in aces with 58 on the season.</p> <p><em><strong>Prediction: Wapahani over Barr-Reeve in five sets.</strong></em></p> <p>It plays out like a movie, but the sophomores can pull it off. Neither team has lost to a 2A school all season, but Wapahani needed every last kill of the 48 combined to pull off the reverse sweep against Fairfield last Saturday. No other Raider was in double digits. B-R will be leaning heavily on Miss Ballengee, just as they did against defending champ Heritage Christian when she pounded 29 kills in four sets in the semi-state. Wapahani serves too tough and has that extra punch in the front row.</p>