4A Regional Preview: South

<p>With sectionals in the rearview and regionals fast approaching, we'll spend time in each half of each bracket every day leading up to Saturday. Today's edition focuses on the southern half of the 4A bracket, which includes five of the top ten teams in the state. Here are the matchups, each team's record, the time and place of each match, and the main athlete to look for when attending.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">#9 Center Grove (25-8) v #4 Brownsburg (22-6), @ Greenfield-Central, 4p</h2>   <p>In mid-September, I was in attendance for this epic matchup of offensive titans. With multiple future collegiate players playing on both rosters, what better way to get to see all of them under one roof. What started as anticipation quickly descended into a sweep that ended in under an hour and a half. Fast forward to this coming Saturday, and two different teams emerge. The Trojans largely coasted through their sectional, while the Bulldogs fought through an epic five-setter over rival Avon to earn the sectional title. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='185478' first='Delaney' last='Steers']</strong> (Northern Illinois commit) will be the main Bulldog on display, and her six-rotation prowess will be much needed considering the service pressure that CG brings to the fray. Speaking of the Trojans, look no further than all-time kills record holder <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='173243' first='Ellen' last='Zapp'] </strong>(Oakland commit). She can terminate from anywhere, and has been doing so more than 1200 times during her illustrious career. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">#2 Yorktown (30-2) v Lawrence North (16-16), @ Greenfield-Central, 7p</h2>   <p>Like you needed an excuse to stick around for amazing volleyball on a Saturday, here come the Tigers and the Wildcats in the nightcap at G-C. Arguably the player of the year for Indiana, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='152944' first='Charlotte' last='Vinson'] </strong>(Indiana commit) is more than a feel-good comeback story by now. Her relentless play, in all aspects of this game we love, will be center stage for the regional. LN's first sectional title in years will put <strong>Alayna Barrett</strong> out there offensively, as her four kills per set will be much needed against the superior ball control of the Tigers in order to pull off the upset.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">#5 Floyd Central (29-5) @ Bloomington North (21-11), 1p</h2>   <p>The Highlanders won an epic five-set battle in the sectional over blue-blood and eternal rival Providence just to get this far, and were probably pleased to see a familiar foe in the Cougars. Things have changed since that August 17 sweep, however, but the main players remain the same. Floyd Central's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='152949' first='Carly' last='Fonda']</strong> (University of Indianapolis commit) has been running a well-balanced offense all season, which has kept opponents on their toes regularly. For the Cougars, ball control will keep them alive and competitive, and that starts with Indiana commit <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='173239' first='Avery' last='Freeman'].</strong> To know that neither of the players mentioned here are attackers should give you a general idea of what this author thinks might happen---lots of ball control, defense and smart distribution of offense will win the day.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Franklin Community (27-3) v #6 Castle (30-3), @ Bloomington North, 4p</h2>   <p>It's nice to see that an entire half of the playoff bracket is at only two locations on Saturday, making this a fun day of "big girl ball". The Grizzly Cubs graduated a ton from last year's sectional champs, but the regional opponent remains the same in the Knights. Franklin will roll out high-flying <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='217453' first='Rose' last='Mahin']</strong> and her 5kps/.300+ stat line to keep this match closer than the sweep that happened last year, while the Knights have their own high-powered offense, partially run by Arkansas State commit <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='458189' first='Maya' last='Joska'].</strong> Looking at Franklin's schedule, I'm not sure they've seen a dynamic offense such as the Knights', nor a player as well-rounded as Maya. Maya is part of a modified 6-2 that allows her to set in the back row (her primary position) and attack in the front row (which is more refined from just a year ago).</p>

With sectionals in the rearview and regionals fast approaching, we'll spend time in each half of each bracket every day leading up to Saturday. Today's edition focuses on the southern half of the 4A bracket, which includes five of the top ten teams in the state. Here are the matchups, each team's record, the time and place of each match, and the main athlete to look for when attending.