Top Sectional Matches To Watch Today

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This week is sectional week for the state of Indiana, and some teams have all of the aspirations in the world to advance to at <em>least</em> Saturday for the sectional semifinal and final. Here are four top playoff matches to watch tonight, sorted by class.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>All rankings/ratings procured from IndianaPrepVolleyball.com and are as of 10/9.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">1A: Lanesville (17-10) v Borden (28-2), hosted by CAI</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Although neither of these teams are listed in the 1A top twenty, both are very familiar with high-level volleyball. They played each other earlier in the season, with the Braves coming out on top in a long five set battle. To counter the Brave attack, <strong>Karolynn Phillips ('24, 5-11 MB)</strong> should be the primary attacker for the Eagles, as her career mark of .400+ will keep her squad in the match. Look for senior setter <strong>Lindsey Casabella</strong> to find her early and often. The Braves have plenty of weapons to throw into the fray, starting with sophomore outside <strong>McKenna Mullen ('26, 5-7 OH),</strong> who easily averages four kills per set on the season. <strong>Hannah Peine ('25, 5-10 MB)</strong> will have her hands full trying to at least slow down Miss Phillips in the middle in order for the Braves to come out on top.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">2A: #12 Scecina (20-11) @ Triton Central (19-9)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Scecina already owns a sweep over conference foe TC, but this is the postseason, where anything can happen. The Crusaders have the obvious strength on the attack and in club experience, as <strong>Molly Welborn ('25, 5-7 OH)</strong> averages five kills per set. Her opposite is a freshman phenom named <strong>Olivia Anglemyer,</strong> who should keep the Tigers honest on defense by putting away a few per set herself. The Tigers won't go quietly, however, as <strong>Brooklyn Bailey ('24, 5-9 MB)</strong> has athleticism to spare and is a springy and fast primary attacker. Triton Central has their own star freshman attacker in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='443842' first='Lucy' last='May'] ('27, 5-10 OH),</strong> who will need to have the match of her life in order for the Tigers to come out on top.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">3A: #18 Leo (22-7) v #14 Woodlan (24-5), hosted by Angola</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Of the matches I took a look at reviewing for today, this matchup is easily the toughest to predict. These two teams know each other well, and have a season split between them. In this rubber match, look for the Warriors' senior leadership to shine through. <strong>Lauren Snyder ('24, 6-1 OH)</strong> has over 800 career kills, all while hitting north of .300 in her three years on varsity. <strong>Marissa Smith ('24, 6-0 OH)</strong> is another big outside that can give opponents fits because of her size and her shot selection. Between the two, over 1200 kills in their respective careers will be hard to replace after this fall. The Lions use a mixture of experience and youth to dominate their opponents, but we'll talk about their athletic youth today. Sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='497493' first='Emersyn' last='Weaver'] ('26, 5-9 OH)</strong> already has over 300 career kills while hitting over .300 as a primary passing outside, and should be a factor in Leo's game plan. <strong>Abby Gebert ('25, 5-7 DS/L)</strong> makes the Lions a little more defensive-minded, and is the first contact kid you need in a match like this one.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">4A: #19 Westfield (14-15) @ #11 Zionsville (25-6)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I couldn't resist mentioning a match in the toughest volleyball sectional in the state. Four of the top twenty in 4A in Indiana reside in this sectional, and you can't go wrong with any match either today or Saturday at Zionsville. The Shamrocks might have their hands full with the experienced Eagles, but their youth is learning quickly. That youth starts with freshman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='443848' first='Carsyn' last='Comer'] ('27, 6-2 MB)</strong>, who can take over a match if you let her. She's big, strong, athletic, and has a high volleyball IQ. Another young newcomer is <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='210183' first='Audrey' last='Bassett'] ('26, 5-10 OH)</strong> who has quietly led Westfield in kills this fall. A win tonight for Westfield would be HUGE for their confidence, but if not, there's nothing to be ashamed of---this young squad will be even better next fall AND the fall after. The Eagles look to end this match quickly, like they did back in August. Look for <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='171390' first='Sophia' last='Poehlein'] ('24, 6-1 OH, Bentley commit)</strong> to hammer away from both pins tonight, while her opposite, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='221478' first='Josie' last='Imes'] ('26, 5-10 OH)</strong>, is a solid six-rotation outside and can do her own offensive damage from anywhere on the court.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->