4A Semi State Preview at Huntington North

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The northern half of the 4A bracket has as much if not more talent oozing from the rosters that remain. All four teams reside within the most recent top ten (IndianaPrepVolleyball.com, Z-ratings), and all four teams have players that are already committed or are destined to be committed to a collegiate program. Of course, every team at this level has that one connection that has defined their respective season. Here are those connections, to go along with records, rankings, and times of the matches.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">1030a: #10 Crown Point (28-6) v #3 Carroll (Fort Wayne) (30-3)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>What seems to be the common theme in these two matches is the amount of talent at the outside hitting position. The Bulldogs roll out six-rotation stud <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='236692' first='Elle' last='Schara']</strong> (Purdue commit), who is a do-everything type of player for CP. Her setters, <strong>Bri Dejesus</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='546291' first='Cailin' last='Duncan'],</strong> will definitely try to keep the Chargers defense honest, but they know exactly how 28 wins appeared on their record. Carroll is coming off of an epic five-set win over Homestead at the regional, where <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='227184' first='Bailey' last='Sinish']</strong> pounded 29 kills. She's also a master of the high jump on the track team, for good measure. Fellow junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='300206' first='Sophia' last='Gisslen']</strong> has other weapons at her disposal help Miss Sinish shoulder the load, so to speak, but this band of Chargers is young and hungry for another shot at.....</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Approx. 1230p: #1 Hamilton Southeastern v #9 Penn (25-5)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>....you guessed it, HSE. The Royals haven't been tested since their five-set win over Zionsville on September 26, and the pressure of going undefeated is gone, making those in royal blue look <em>that</em> much more hungry for a three-peat. Talent is up and down this roster, starting with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='153107' first='Lindsey' last='Mangelson']</strong> at the outside hitting position. She's been a regular on the floor for HSE since her sophomore year, and is SEC bound next fall (Mississippi State). At five kills per set and hitting north of .350, all while playing the toughest schedule in the state, she's more than ready for the next level. Fellow senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='172759' first='Ava' last='Hunter']</strong> (Loyola-Chicago commit) has been along for the ride as well through all of the victories the last three years, and will be the main distributor after being part of a 6-2 in recent seasons. Penn's path to the semi state wasn't as easy as HSE's however. Battle-tested, the Kingsmen needed a reverse sweep in the regional over a tough Chesterton team just to get here. Although most of their play is dictated on floor defense and service pressure, look for senior <strong>Shannon Rudge</strong> to lead the way offensively from the outside hitting position. Setters <strong>Abbi Gingerich</strong> and <strong>Montana Swartz</strong> will be the main parts of the offensive engine, just as they were in the sweep over South Bend Adams in the sectional final. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->