Jasper Semistate: Small School Heaven

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>None of the semi states are close enough to each other that you could watch two matches from the same class on the same day. Even <em>if</em> you wanted to, going from Jasper to Columbus East would cost you over two hours of drive time. A true volleyball fan from the southern half of Indiana would have to choose between big girl ball (Columbus East) and small school heaven (Jasper). Saturday's "heaven" features a variety of methods on how to play this game of ours. Here are the teams involved, their records, and the players that could make a difference in their squad moving on to Worthen Arena.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>1p: Class 1A: Indianapolis Lutheran (18-17) v #2 Tecumseh (30-4)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Looking at Lutheran's record, one would think that they got lucky getting here. Something to note, however---REGULAR SEASON RECORDS DON'T MATTER IN INDIANA. Since sectionals aren't seeded in any sport, and might never be, why not play the toughest schedule you could possibly play to prepare for moments like this? Shoot, Lutheran's <em>scrimmage</em> was against 4A power Fishers. I love coach Anderson's approach to every season, and she's one of my favorite in the profession. A couple of kids that follow her lead in skill and temperament are <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='240642' first='Hadleigh' last='Filipovich'] ('24, 5-9 OH/MB)</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='216041' first='Cathryn' last='Erwin'] ('25, 5-1 DS/L).</strong> Both are natural leaders in their own way, and both will need to play at the best of their abilities to compete with the athleticism up and down the lineup the Braves have. Speaking of the Braves, their confidence must be through the roof right about now, knocking off #1 Springs Valley and #4 Trinity Lutheran in the same regional. Three attackers average over two kills per set in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='230530' first='Jenna' last='Donohoo'] ('24, 5-10 OH/RS), [player_tooltip player_id='157434' first='Payge' last='Johnson'] ('24, 5-9 S/OH)</strong> and <strong>Bri Marx ('23, 5-11 RS/MB).</strong> All three have their specific skill sets that will keep the Saints off-balance throughout this match, but all three will need to play at their best and most consistent to knock off Lutheran.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Approx. 3:30p: Class 2A: #3 Scecina (30-5) v #8 Linton-Stockton (27-5)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The second match pits two top ten programs with long and successful volleyball histories. It's unfortunate that only one can make the trip to Ball State next weekend. The Crusaders bring senior leadership and experience, emphasized best by <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='95675' first='Abbey' last='McCoy'] ('23, 5-9 OH)</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='148791' first='Allison' last='Daves'] ('23, 5-9 RS).</strong> Abbey should hammer away at the left pin, while lefty Allison has her own swings to put away. Both will excel at the next level for a smaller school looking for six-rotation kids who do a bit of everything. On the other side of the net, the Miners boast two solid pin attackers of their own, and neither should ever come out Saturday afternoon. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='240643' first='Sophie' last='Hale'] ('24, 5-5 OH/DS)</strong> is the springy spitfire of an outside that will probably be a DS at the next level, while youngster <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='226810' first='Ella' last='Warrick'] ('26, 5-9 OH)</strong> has all of the shots from all of the spots on the floor, and can hammer a few to wake up opposing defenses and home crowds. At just over an hour away from Jasper, this might feel like a home match for the Miners.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->