3A Regional: North Edition

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We spent time talking about the regional brackets south of I-70 this morning. There's always another half to every story, and the northern half has plenty to offer. Four of the top eight teams in all of 3A in Indiana are in this half of the bracket, with three of the top four all in the same <em>quarter.</em> Here are the eight teams competing on Saturday, their locations and times, and the uncommitted players that could make a difference in each of the matches.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>At NorthWood:</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>10a: Hammond Bishop Noll (28-5) v New Prairie (26-8)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Two 25+-win teams? Check. Multiple club kids on both sides of the net? Double check. Young ball-control masters that can pass half the court? You got it. Each of these teams can flat out bring it, but to last through the regional, you need to receive serve and defend at a high level. I like sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='237880' first='Sophie' last='Nowacki'] ('25, 5-9 OH), </strong>who projects to be a six-rotation outside at the next level. Her ability to lead offensively AND defensively should carry the Warriors past this opening round. Don't tell that to <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='110505' first='Alena' last='Naddaf'] ('24, 5-2 DS/L), </strong>who patrols more than just the left back for the Cougars. Her serve receive is exceptional, and she takes longer than average strides for a kid her size. Her anticipation of offensive plays in front of her is well above average.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>12:30p: Culver Academies (19-14) v #8 NorthWood (26-6)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A home game during the regional is rare. What's even more rare for this group is possibly making it to the semi state. Junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='237881' first='Jenna' last='Kerr'] ('24, 5-10 MB/S)</strong> has a little bit of all skills mastered. She plays middle in the front row while partially running a 6-2 in the back. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='192110' first='Claire' last='Payne']'s ('25, 6-1 MB)</strong> size might be too much to handle for the Eagles, and her strength of attack will be the toughest Culver has seen this fall. Look for the Panthers to use that size and skill to their advantage.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Vote for your winner of the NorthWood regional:</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://poll.fm/11224430","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"crowdsignal","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-crowdsignal wp-block-embed-crowdsignal"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://poll.fm/11224430 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>At Norwell:</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>10a: #2 Benton Central (30-3) v #3 Angola (31-0)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Two of the top three playing each other in the regional semifinal? Wow. Get yer popcorn ready, folks. This will be fun. The speed and ball control of the Bison against the size and strength of the Hornets. You couldn't ask for a better matchup to start your Saturday. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='210185' first='Cali' last='Foster'] ('26, 5-9 OH)</strong> is a superb freshman who can be a primary passing outside while dominating the outdoor game as well. Not too many kids can do what she does at her age, and she's been doing it at Boiler Juniors for a few years now. But she's never seen anything like the size, strength and maturity that the Hornets bring. Another super-frosh, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='237882' first='Maya' last='Harris'] ('26, 5-10 OH/RS)</strong>, can bring it with the best of them, and could play either pin in a pinch. Get your tickets early and get to your seat even earlier, this will be a fun one, and my pick for best match of the 3A regionals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>12:30p: #4 Bellmont (27-6) v Delta (16-9)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Double wow. All kinds of ball control, smart play and volleyball acuity through the roof in this match. It's unfortunate that only ONE of these four teams makes it to the semi state, as any of these four could compete for a state title if they weren't in the same regional. That being said, we need this match to happen first. <strong>MaryKate Schumann ('26, 5-9 OH/RS)</strong> can attack from anywhere and plays with a higher level of volleyball IQ than most freshmen. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='234694' first='Olivia' last='Morris'] ('24, 5-9 MB), </strong>however, has Munciana written all over her, and uses her speed and smarts to beat larger, lumbering middles. Volleyball fans with tickets to the first match should stick around for the second, as this will be the most entertaining location of the four regional sites in 3A.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Vote for your winner of the Norwell regional:</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://poll.fm/11224432","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"crowdsignal","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-crowdsignal wp-block-embed-crowdsignal"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://poll.fm/11224432 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed -->