4A Poll: Carmel @ Hamilton Southeastern tonight!
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If you needed more motivation to the opening week of the postseason here in Indiana, look no further than the “sectional of death”. Four of the top fifteen teams in class 4A are in this sectional—Carmel and HSE being two…
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Continue ReadingIf you needed more motivation to the opening week of the postseason here in Indiana, look no further than the “sectional of death”. Four of the top fifteen teams in class 4A are in this sectional—Carmel and HSE being two of them—and should make for an epic week of volleyball at Hamilton Southeastern high school this week. Here are the teams and their respective primary players.
Carmel (22-9)
The Greyhounds had a rough start to the season—2-5 in their first seven matches—but played arguably the toughest schedule they could possibly put together. An additional loss to Seymour in early September had this author writing them off. Later wins over Penn, Brownsburg and Cathedral got them to right the ship, so to speak. In order to be the best, you have to beat the best, right? Opening against #1 HSE on the road wasn’t how the Greyhounds wanted to start the one-and-done portion of the schedule, but here we are. Powered by Lauren Evans Lauren Evans 6'0" | OH Carmel | 2024 State #136 Nation IN (’24, 6-0 OH, Michigan commit), Jessica Pickett Jessica Pickett 6'5" | MB Carmel | 2023 State IN (’23, 6-5 MB, Valparaiso commit) and Emily Waddell Emily Waddell 6'0" | MB Carmel | 2023 State #137 Nation IN (’23, 6-0 MB, Ohio commit), the folks in blue and gold have had steady success and some solid play down the stretch. They’ll need all of it to improve upon the sweep they suffered in August to the Royals.
Hamilton Southeastern (27-1)
That lonely loss was in the first match of the season against defending 4A state champ McCutcheon. I’m guessing Coach Young won’t let his Royals look ahead any further than the team they’re facing next. This team is much different than when they met Carmel back in August, and have dropped exactly two sets in their 27-match win streak. There are so many weapons on this roster, it’s easy to forget how many there are. Avery Hobson Avery Hobson 6'1" | OH Hamilton Southeastern | 2023 State IN (’23, 6-0 OH, Duquesne commit) is a hammer from the left pin, while Breonna Goss Breonna Goss 5'11" | MB Hamilton Southeastern | 2024 State IN (’24, 6-0 MB, Duke commit) and Tiffany Snook Tiffany Snook 6'2" | MB Hamilton Southeastern | 2024 State #186 Nation IN (’24, 6-2 MB) are fast and athletic in the middle. Let’s not forget Lauren Harden Lauren Harden 6'3" | OH Hamilton Southeastern | 2024 State #36 Nation IN (’24, 6-4 OH), who can play on both pins at the next level, even if she’s specializing on the right side this fall. All four of those attackers are putting balls away at a .300+ clip, a stat unheard of in this age of hyper aggressive play.