This Week’s Top Five In 4A: Two Of A Kind

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Our final edition of the Top Five this week focuses on big girl ball, with only one new addition among the blue bloods of Indiana volleyball. Each team has two players that work well together, and would not be as good if the other wasn't present. Here are our top five teams this week.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>#5: Carroll (21-0, #4 last week)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I realize that Carroll has yet to lose, but their weaker-than-average strength of schedule (plus the recent success of another program) moves them down a notch this week. I'm sure things will settle themselves once their match with #3 Yorktown happens on Saturday, which is my match of the week for 4A. A win over the Tigers cements the Chargers in the top five, with a great confidence boost going into the final weeks of the regular season. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='110484' first='Olivia' last='Gisslen'] ('24, 5-9 S)</strong> is a top-20 recruit in the class of '24, and has full control of Carroll's success running the 5-1. One nice surprise for the Chargers for me is freshman <strong>Addi Shippy ('26, 5-9 MB).</strong> She's an M2 through and through, and could project to be a quick-twitch right side in the near future. Despite her size, Addi still leads the squad in blocks per set and total blocks on the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>#4: Valparaiso (23-3, NR last week)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Welcome to the party, Vikings! Recent wins over Mishawaka, Concord and Concordia Lutheran (all winning programs) last Saturday helped this squad crack the top five for the first time this fall. Their conference matches for the next week and a half might make their strength of schedule take a hit, but for now, the Vikings can celebrate. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='156466' first='Kennedy' last='Wagner'] ('23, 6-0 OH, Ole Miss commit)</strong> is the alpha and omega of the roster, with an impressive attack line of 5+k/.400+. If things go south with her, there's always <strong>Gwen Clifford ('24, 6-1 MB), </strong>who has the size and strength to carry some of the load if Miss Wagner has an off night. Her two kills per set while hitting over .300 is a great complementary piece for this roster.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>#3: Yorktown (19-2, #2 last week)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's not the Tigers' fault that their conference is having a down year. Two under-.500 squads were easy wins this week, making their schedule a bit weaker overall. Tonight's match against blue blood Cathedral (14-7), along with Saturday's matches against 4A #5 Carroll and 3A power Concordia Lutheran, will put that schedule back on target to be one of the toughest. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='115069' first='Emilee' last='Hill'] ('23, 5-10 S, Eastern Kentucky commit)</strong> is the lead-by-example setter a program needs to run a 5-1. The Tigers, however, have talent oozing everywhere, so <strong>Kynnadi Bell ('24, 5-4 S/DS)</strong> takes the reins for three rotations, giving Miss Hill the opportunity to attack in the front row. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>#2: McCutcheon (16-1, #3 last week)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Speaking of strength-of-schedule, the Mavericks own multiple wins over the who's who of volleyball royalty. This past Saturday, McCutcheon swept both Bishop Dwenger and Providence, and then had a quick turnaround to sweep Brownsburg on Tuesday. Aside from Avon and Benton Central next week, there won't be another challenge on their schedule prior to the sectional, which begins October 8. First contact master <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='85926' first='Raegan' last='Burns'] ('23, 5-5 DS/L, Kansas commit)</strong> can take a ton of credit for her squad's success, passing half the court in serve receive and being relentless on defense. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='85895' first='Chloe' last='Chicoine'] ('23, 5-10 OH, Purdue commit)</strong> continues to defend her All-State accolades by leading her crew yet again to an inevitable repeat in the state title chase. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>#1: Hamilton Southeastern (16-1, #1 last week)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Playing in the toughest volleyball conference in the state, the Royals got two solid out-of-conference wins over powers Sacred Heart (Kentucky) and Roncalli (4A) recently. Tonight's match against Zionsville (4A, 15-6) should decide the conference title, allowing them to fine tune before the sectional. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='93482' first='Avery' last='Hobson'] ('23, 6-1 OH, Duquesne commit)</strong> is still the kills leader for the Royals, and is maturing her game just in time for the postseason. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='112086' first='Sophie' last='Ledbetter'] ('24, 5-4 DS/L)</strong> anchors the back row and makes this offensive juggernaut go with first-contact mastery.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->