4A State Final Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Use code KypExpo2024 for savings off of your registration to our Top 250 Expo December 7!</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Our nightcap of an epic day of championships pits the two teams who actually played each other in the regular season prior to meeting at Worthen. This will be a de facto home game for the Tigers, as their campus is minutes away from Ball State. That being said, there should be a contrast of styles and systems going into the evening that will be fun to watch in the rematch.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">#3 Carroll (32-3)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The biggest talking point going into this season was if #1 Hamilton Southeastern was going to three-peat. Carroll ended that conversation last Saturday with a win in four, and now they're one match away from immortality. Subtle differences in how the Chargers play now as opposed to the September 28 loss to Yorktown should be important to note. For one, Carroll's top attacker, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='227184' first='Bailey' last='Sinish'],</strong> didn't even play. Removing 5 kps/.350+ from any lineup will cause a bit of a letdown, no matter how good the supporting cast is. Bailey is one of those can't-miss recruits that excels in multiple sports, her other sport being track (specifically, the high jump). I expect to see Miss Sinish included early and often in this title bout. Unlike the Tigers, Carroll does their thing with very little senior leadership. Freshman attacker <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='582991' first='Katelyn' last='Peters']</strong> led the Chargers in that loss to Yorktown, and was the only one in blue and white to crack double digits. Another freshman in the form of libero <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='562298' first='Cala' last='Haffner']</strong> anchors a stout defense and serve receive, and plays like someone much older and more experienced than a freshman would play. I'm also thinking that junior setter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='300206' first='Sophia' last='Gisslen']</strong> will keep the Tiger defense honest by distributing sets as evenly as she can, as she did a month and a half ago. To know that this squad is doing all of this with exactly one senior leads me to believe that this might be the first of two trips to Worthen for the Chargers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">#2 Yorktown (33-2)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With #1 HSE out of the way thanks to Carroll and the finish line in sight, the Tigers look every part of the team of destiny that they deserve to be. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='152944' first='Charlotte' last='Vinson'] </strong>(Indiana commit) is back to full strength, and showed it in her 22 kill, 11 dig and 3 block performance against #8 Center Grove last Saturday. Everything the Tigers do is centered around Miss Vinson, but she wasn't even the top attacker in their other match against Carroll. Leave that to <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='297945' first='Shanese' last='Williams'],</strong> who led all blockers in the semi state with five. When Charlotte was in recovery in the early part of the season, Shanese was the primary attacker, and held her own just fine against bigger competition. Her three kills per set will be much needed against a Carroll squad that has all of their horses back as well. I like Texas A&amp;M recruit <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='155213' first='Addi' last='Applegate'],</strong> who's one of many D1 liberi that have passed through the halls of Yorktown High School over the years. Her ability to receive serve in half the court to take the pressure off of the other passers makes the ladies in green unstoppable at times. Yorktown passes so well that a 6-2 is in order for their system, unlike their opponents tomorrow. Setters <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='748464' first='Bailey' last='Stevens'] </strong>and <strong>Hannah Clark</strong> will run this offense efficiently, as they have all season. With all of the senior leadership, and overcoming the adversity that they've had to overcome, I would not be surprised if the storybook ending actually happened in real life with Yorktown taking home the big trophy.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->