3A State Championship: #1 Providence v #4 Bellmont

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Starting at roughly 4:30 on Saturday is the beginning of "big girl ball" here in Indiana on Ball State's campus. Both the Pioneers and the Braves have played an incredibly tough schedule to get here, and both are true blue-bloods of the sport. Here are the teams, how they got here, and the key players on each roster that should will their respective squads to victory.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>#1 Providence (30-6)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Winners of their last 12 in a row, the Pioneers have definitely earned their spot in the title match with wins over #5 Barr-Reeve, #7 Greensburg and #6 Western Boone in their last three matches. The latter match went to five, and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='85899' first='Grace' last='Purichia']'s ('23, 5-7 S, Jacksonville State commit)</strong> ability to balance the offense effectively while keeping defenses honest with her own attacking propelled Providence to Ball State. Leading the attack was <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='143807' first='Makenzie' last='Wagner'] ('24, 5-10 RS), </strong>who led all attackers in the semi state with 17 kills and 6 blocks, all while hitting .300 for the match. Miss Wagner is just one part of the machine, as four Pioneers had double-digit kills on the night. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='114355' first='Camila' last='Adams'] ('24, 5-8 DS/L)</strong> gets her training across the Ohio River at KIVA, and her passing and defensive mindset have been the foundation for this incredible run. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>#4 Bellmont (30-6)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Although the road for the Braves hasn't been as tough in their postseason at Providence (only #8 NorthWood was ranked), they have still earned their right to be here. To be fair, the Braves haven't dropped a set to an Indiana foe since mid-September, a span of six weeks' worth of sweeps. Losing in the title match to Brebeuf (now 4A) last season must have been the main motivation to this season, and there has been no question that they're up to the task. Unlike the Pioneers, however, the offense clearly goes through one person, specifically <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='110518' first='Delaney' last='Lawson'] ('24, 6-1 OH)</strong>. She had career highs in kills (24) last week and hitting percentage (.526). Setter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='190493' first='Lauren' last='Ross'] ('23, 5-8 S)</strong> locates the ball well and is an above-average defender for her position in this class. Libero and captain <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='242595' first='Sami' last='Christen'] ('24, 5-8 DS/L) </strong>led all players in their semi state last week with 16 digs. The question remains, can these three withstand the multifaceted assault that the Pioneers bring on offense?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->