Indiana 4A Preview: The Usual Suspects

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tryouts have "officially" begun around the state of Indiana, with the scrimmages beginning next week. Here are three teams I like to compete for the 4A state title, with one dark horse that could throw a wrench into things.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Hamilton Southeastern ('22 record: 34-1)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Royals ran off 34 straight matches to win the whole thing last year, and it's not like they played cupcakes, either. The scary part is, even with that tough schedule, they'll return the bulk of every part of their team, starting with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='110501' first='Lauren' last='Harden'] ('24, 6-3 OH, Florida commit).</strong> With her size, jumping ability and knack for scoring points at will, she's the catalyst for this squad. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='112085' first='Tiffany' last='Snook'] ('24, 6-2 MB, Memphis commit)</strong> is a long and lean middle who's explosive on transition and uses her length to frustrate opposing attackers regularly. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='112086' first='Sophie' last='Ledbetter'] ('24, 5-8 DS/L, Ball State commit)</strong> should once again anchor the back line, and will be leaned on to continue her leadership with the special jersey on. Finally, let's not forget about <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='110509' first='Macy' last='Hinshaw'] ('24, 5-9 S, Santa Clara commit),</strong> who already plays with a maturity that collegiate setters take for granted. This should be a fun year for the Royals, but let's not forget about their challengers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Yorktown ('22 record: 34-3)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Tigers are quoted as saying that the title match could have gone either way, and they're right. What with all of that offense HSE has, Yorktown exposed some of their defensive and serve receive issues like good Delaware County teams do. This author expects this pair of teams to make it back to Worthen Arena, but with a catch. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='152944' first='Charlotte' last='Vinson'] ('25, 6-1 Pin, Indiana commit)</strong> is THE attacker for the Tigers, and you can't change my mind. Muncie-area teams are known for their ball control, so insert <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='155213' first='Addi' last='Applegate'] ('25, 5-5 DS/L)</strong> as the libero, and you have half the court taken care of in both serve receive and defense. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='228839' first='Kynnadi' last='Bell'] ('24, 5-7 DS/S)</strong> might be one of the setters again, but is more known for her defense than her hands. The catch? Rarely does a 4A team win a title with only one attacker. The lone exception might be.....</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">McCutcheon ('22 record: 33-2)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Mavericks have feasted on competition for a few seasons now, but their hammer, <strong>Chloe Chicoine,</strong> graduated early and is already at Purdue. I had to put McCutcheon here, despite Chloe's departure, because their only two losses last season are to the two teams listed above. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='110524' first='Isabella' last='Humphrey'] ('24, 5-9 OH, Auburn commit)</strong> is the best returning attacker, and her pass-to-attack is second to none in this group. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='155214' first='Reanna' last='Lee'] ('25, 5-11 MB)</strong> brings a little size to the court, and will be leaned upon to defend from pin to pin AND put away a few more balls to cover their losses to graduation. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='110523' first='Allie' last='Shondell'] ('24, 5-10 S, Purdue commit)</strong> runs the show with ease, with little sister <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='210192' first='Lexi' last='Shondell'] </strong>helping out. However, one question remains. Who's passing?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">DARK HORSE: Homestead ('22 record: 27-7)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Getting out of the sectional is one thing. Matching up against McCutcheon in the regional was a rude awakening for the Spartans, who are a year older and wiser since last fall. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='192114' first='Addy' last='Tindall'] ('25, 6-3 OH, Purdue commit)</strong> is worth the price of admission, and is surrounded by size. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='371988' first='Taeley' last='Mahler'] ('24, 6-2 RS, Eastern Michigan commit)</strong> has the right pin taken care of both offensively and defensively. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='192113' first='Ava' last='Tindall'] ('25, 6-1 MB)</strong> is a workhorse of a middle that will be an M2 at the next level. But the question remains: who's passing? Question #2: who's setting? It's one thing to have all of this size, it's completely another to get them the ball. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->