All-Star Sectionals, 1A: Sectional 53 at Covington

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In our final sectional preview, we hit up the toughest sectional in all of 1A. Four of the top 11 teams in 1A populate this Western Indiana sectional, with a wide open bracket making predictions iffy, at best. Here are the seven teams in the sectional, their match times and dates, and the players that will be responsible for their respective successes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">1A #10 Faith Christian (22-4) v Attica (4-22), October 15 @ 6p</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>These two teams have already played, with the Eagles coming out on top with a sweep. I don't know enough about the Ramblers to make an abject guess as to who might be the key player, so let's focus on the Eagles. Faith Christian comes at you with a two-headed attacking monster in the form of <strong>Molly Miller</strong> and <strong>Anna Riley.</strong> They combine for eight kills per set, and will be the main cogs in the Eagles' machine. This leads me to junior setter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='462512' first='Olivia' last='Barber'],</strong> who will be the main catalyst for this and any future matches on set distribution and keeping defenses honest.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Winner v 1A #3 Lafayette Central Catholic (18-10), October 19 @ 11a</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The winner of the first match will take on the Knights, who already swept the Eagles a few weeks ago. LCC has been a volleyball juggernaut no matter which class they've been placed in, and their armada of volleyball studs won't diminish any time soon. <strong>Lauran Johnson</strong> represents the future of the Knights, leading LCC in multiple categories as she bombs away from both pins. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='557018' first='Carley' last='Barrett'],</strong> more known for her basketball prowess, is a picture of senior leadership, and attacks well from the left side. Libero <strong>Grace </strong><b>Borden</b><strong>et</strong> is the anchor in the special jersey that other coaches covet, and will be the main first contact for the Knights throughout the postseason. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">1A #8 Covington (22-9) v 1A #11 Riverton Parke (24-5), October 17 @ 6p</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The most intriguing matchup of the early bracket matches at Covington include the Trojans, who have hovered in the 1A top ten for some time now. Attacker <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='152941' first='Alex' last='Sutherlin']</strong> will be the reason for the Trojans' success on Thursday, but might need a bit of help from her friends to get past the defensive-minded Panthers. Setter <strong>Peyton Brown</strong> will need to distribute the offense evenly so that her opposing defenses can stay honest and not key on Miss Sutherlin. For RP, look to <strong>Haylee Mathas</strong> to be the main point of contact when the ball comes over, followed by setter <strong>Jenna Batty.</strong> The pair have been the main points of success for the Panthers all season, and at this time of year, ball control wins every time.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Fountain Central (8-19) v North Vermillion (5-13), October 17 @ approx. 8p</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The second match on Thursday features a rematch from October 2, which the Mustangs won. The two titans that battled that day were <strong>Aubrey Ashwill</strong> for the Mustangs and <strong>Addie Burns</strong> for NV. Aubrey had 11 kills in that previous matchup, but might need more than that to have a repeat of the early October match. Addie led all attackers that day, but her help needs to come from everyone else, which hasn't been much this fall. Here's to hoping that the nightcap for both teams brings out the supporting casts and makes this match a must-watch.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->