2A State Championship Recap

Kyp Harasymowycz November 8, 2021 @ 07:59 AM

Here in Indiana, we host our state championship at Worthen Arena on the campus of Ball State University. Often, the matches are ho-hum blowouts where one team is clearly the superior program. All volleyball fans in attendance this past Saturday were treated to excellent play throughout the day and late into the night, and the 2A final was no different. #1 Andrean (32-5) def. #3 Western Boone (27-9), 3-2 (25-20, 20-25, 25-27, 27-25, 15-12) As the Fighting 59ers showed us all season, consistent play and leadership can will a program to a state title. Andrean’s consistent play came from [player_tooltip player_id="103331" first="Maddie" last="Kmetz"] (’22, 5-9 S), the four-year starter that feels like she’s been there forever. She finished with a full stat sheet; 55 assists, 16 digs, 5 blocks, 3 aces and 2 kills, all while directing the attack. The leadership came from [player_tooltip player_id="110517" first="Marin" last="Sanchez"] (’24, 5-11 OH), who led all attackers with 23 kills while hitting .275. Libero Kara Schutz (’23, 5-4 DS/L) scooped 25 digs and added 4 assists and 2 aces for good measure. Western Boone, to their credit, made their first trip to the state final memorable, and all of their success came with only two seniors on the roster. Libero Marli Ransom (’22, 5-6 DS/L) was the Mental Attitude Award winner, while also digging 22 balls in her final match. Fellow senior Maddie Hawkins (’22, 5-8 OH/DS) had a day of her own, tallying 13 kills, 2 aces, 2 assists and a match-high 30 digs for the Stars. The future is bright, however, for this young squad. The Stars’ leading attacker came in the form of [player_tooltip player_id="154814" first="Raegan" last="Durbin"] (’25, 5-10 OH), whose 19 kills, 9 digs and 3 blocks showed all in attendance that she’ll be the go-to for the foreseeable future at WeBo.