Class 1 Sectional 3 & 4 Previews

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Class 1 is shaping up to be more balanced than in the past. The winners of these sectionals will meet in the quarterfinals to move on to the final four. You have two top Class 1 teams in Winona and Bismarck facing two underdogs. Can the underdogs pull off the upset? Here's my preview for Class 1 Sectional rounds 3 and 4.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sectional 3</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tipton Cardinals 17-10-4 vs. <strong>Bismarck Indians 30-5-1</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>How they got here</strong>: This will be the first meeting between the two schools. Tipton comes into sectionals after winning their district over Columbia Independent 25-20, 25-20, 25-15, and then Northwest, the Class 1 third-place finisher from last year 29-27, 25-18, 25-21. Bismarck had a little more of a fight to take their district. In the semifinals, they snuck by South Iron, last year's Class 1 2^nd place finisher, 25-20, 25-22, 20-25, and 25-22, and then beat Lesterville in the finals 25-27, 25-19, 25-16, 25-17. Bismarck last won districts 13 times, and the last was in 2015, and has only made the final four once, finishing 4^th. Tipton last won a district title in 2003 but lost the sectional match.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Key Players:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Tipton:</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='490142' first='Kaitlyn' last='Tuttle']</strong> leads the Cardinals with 247 kills, followed by <strong>Ava Schlotzhauer</strong> with 218; <strong>Charlee Bailey</strong>, the lone senior on the team, has 126 kills and 331 assists.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Bismarck:</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='236994' first='Ashley' last='Hawkins']</strong> is the top attacker with 473 kills, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='729484' first='Loryn' last='Pierson']</strong> with 252 kills, <strong>Alyssa Brake</strong> with 146 kills, and <strong>Kinsey Hubbs </strong>with 133.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Prediction:</strong> Both teams are young, with only four seniors combined, so the future is bright. Bismarck's biggest win was over Class 3 district finalist Ste. Genevieve in 5. Bismarck plays a demanding schedule for a Class 1 team and has yet to lose to a Class 1 team. Tipton has several losses to Class 1 teams. Bismarck will be hosting, and Tipton has a three-hour drive to reach Bismarck. And I've seen what sitting on a bus that long and then playing does to a team. With no common opponents, getting a feel for this matchup is more complicated, but I watched Bismarck knock off Lesterville, and they were a tough matchup. Tipton will have to contain [player_tooltip player_id='236994' first='Ashley' last='Hawkins'] on the outside, and that's easier said than done. Tipton has yet to play a team the caliber of Bismarck all season. Bismarck is battle-tested, having played in the MAAA conference with Class 3 and 4 teams. This matchup is the home court favorite as Bismarck sets [player_tooltip player_id='236994' first='Ashley' last='Hawkins'] early and often and breezes through Tipton with a relatively easy sweep 3-0.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sectional 4</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Winona Wildcats 30-3-2</strong> vs. Chadwick Cardinals 20-14-1</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>How they got here</strong>: Winona had a relatively easy district with sweeps over Couch and Summersville. Chadwick had to escape the semifinals with a 3-2 win over Plato and then took down Bradleyville in a 3-0 victory to win districts. Winona has a rich history in volleyball, having won five state titles, four 2^nd, two 3^rd, and four 4^th place. Chadwick has never been past the sectional round.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Common opponents</strong>: Lockwood and Marionville. Winona beat both teams, while Chadwick lost to both teams.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Key Players:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Winona</strong>: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='695518' first='Sadie' last='M Kile']</strong> is the top 2028 player in Class 1 and has 481 kills. [player_tooltip player_id='237001' first='Taylor' last='Williams'] is next with 357 kills, one of the top setters in Class 1 in [player_tooltip player_id='232323' first='Lexi' last='Lindsey'], and has 2854 career assists.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Chadwick:</strong> <strong>Millie Burkhart, Ralen Hume, Kali Purdome</strong>, and <strong>Greta Gardner</strong> combine for 520 kills.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Prediction:</strong> Winona will take the two-hour trek to Chadwick for the sectional match. Winona has been the top Class 1 team since the season's second weekend. They have wins over Class 1 two-time champion Advance in a sweep. Winona has yet to lose a single set to any Class 1 team. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='695518' first='Sadie' last='M Kile']</strong> and [player_tooltip player_id='237001' first='Taylor' last='Williams'] will drop bombs on Chadwick and push Winona into the quarterfinals with an easy sweep of the Cardinals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->