Ranked Matches We’re Watching In 2A Regionals

Halfway through our regional breakdown for this Saturday, and we finally find a bit of balance in the brackets. In 4A, four of the top five were in the northern half. In 3A, six of the top eight reside in the bottom half of the bracket. 2A shows a lot more balance, as there are only two matches where both teams are ranked in the top ten, and both matches are on opposite sides of the draw. Even with the lesser amount of ranked matches, there's still a ton of great volleyball to watch, starting at 1p.   All rankings are from indianaprepvolleyball.com, where updates were made after last week's sectional matches.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">#7 Wapahani (26-6) @ #2 Southwood (29-3), 1p</h2>   In a literal home match for the Knights, Southwood looks to hit the 30-win mark yet again against Muncie-area foe Wapahani. The Raiders will need the whole roster of players and the whole set of high-end skills to knock off Southwood, and that offense should start with a senior-led load. [player_tooltip player_id='835724' first='Marin' last='Hopkins'] has been the go-to, for the most part, on the outside. Her leadership, coupled with her athleticism, should do well, as long as she varies her shots against the stalwart Knight defense. Kami Rivers is another pin attacker to keep an eye on in this match. Her ability to keep defenses honest should open up other avenues of offense for the Raiders. She's also tough behind the baseline, which can hopefully keep Southwood from being too efficient. Finally, an x-factor for Wapahani could be senior middle Olivia Walters. When in-system, she's tough to stop, and can hit any angle and shot available to her. Southwood will bring their in-residence SEC commit in [player_tooltip player_id='494521' first='Shania' last='Rhamy']. The Kentucky-bound outside is a powerhouse that's tough to contend with at any level. At 5 kills per set, while hitting over .400 AND being a primary passer in serve receive, she's the catalyst to help the Knights go. [player_tooltip player_id='847596' first='Hali' last='Pershing'], a fellow junior outside, is a nice complement, and might be called upon if (and that's a big IF) Miss Rhamy falters. I've also been high on freshman middle Taylor Haecker this fall. Her heavy arm, strong upper body and willingness to work hard in transition makes her an ideal watch for future collegiate middle help in the class of ‘29.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">#4 Tecumseh (26-8) v #1 Barr-Reeve (29-5), 4p @ Loogootee</h2>   In what might be the toughest match of the day in 2A, the Vikings “host” the Braves in a rivalry match (Loogootee is about a 15 minute drive from the Vikings' home gym.). The two have played each other twice this fall, with Tecumseh dropping both but seemingly improving in each showing. For the Braves, I like senior attacker [player_tooltip player_id='300205' first='Shae' last='Bailey'] on the outside. Strong and smart, she has shown over the years that she's more than capable of carrying her volleyball squad offensively, while simultaneously showing that athletic leadership that nearly every women's sport at Tecumseh has. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='722895' first='Kelsey' last='Marx'], of the Marx clan of hyperathletic women at Tecumseh, is a do-everything athlete that sets in the back row and attacks when in the front. She's part of a modified 6-2 that has freshman upstart [player_tooltip player_id='890230' first='Adley' last='Staples'] as her complement. Adley's not playing like a freshman anymore, and is more than ready to carry the flag for the future of the program. These three will dictate how ready the Braves are for the regional on Saturday. As for the Vikings, this is being treated like any other match, as their quest for a state title seems annual at this point. Winning 8 straight sectional titles in three different classes, BR is an efficient squad that has a ton of weapons. [player_tooltip player_id='226808' first='Addison' last='Jones'] is the central attack piece for the Vikings, and has been for years. Fellow senior outside Lanie Graber does a nice job minimizing errors and terminating well when needed. Just like the Braves, the Vikings roll out a tough-as-nails freshman on the attack in the form of [player_tooltip player_id='884194' first='Joslyn' last='Knepp']. JJ's length is her strength, and can bring a wealth of skill to the court. Her volleyball IQ is through the roof, and is my x-factor in this match.

Halfway through our regional breakdown for this Saturday, and we finally find a bit of balance in the brackets. In 4A, four of the top five were in the northern half. In 3A, six of the top eight reside in the bottom half of the bracket. 2A shows a lot more balance, as there are only two matches where both teams are ranked in the top ten, and both matches are on opposite sides of the draw. Even with the lesser amount of ranked matches, there's still a ton of great volleyball to watch, starting at 1p.