Ranked Matches We’re Watching In 3A Regionals

We're down to the last 16 teams in 3A, and there's plenty of excellent volleyball to be seen. Each of the three matches listed below feature ranked teams on both sides of the net, making each matchup THAT much more exciting. You'll notice that the ratings have changed a bit—-indianaprepvolleyball.com has made adjustments to his formula to get us the most accurate ratings available, which reflect the matches played from this past week.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">#13 West Lafayette (21-9) v #9 Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger (16-8), 4p @ Southwood</h2>   This match is a tale of two teams that have more similarities than each would care to admit. Each have a primary pin attacker, each have solid ball control, and each use extended rallies to induce errors from their opponents. Starting with the Red Devils, look for [player_tooltip player_id='387449' first='Audrey' last='Alexander'], an explosive outside to be the focal point of the offense. Her four kills per set while hitting over .300 belies her importance to WL. Junior right side [player_tooltip player_id='807393' first='Sophie' last='Andrew'] is a nice complement to Audrey, and should be looked to early and often to keep the Saints' defense honest. As for the Saints, they see yet another top-twenty team in 3A this postseason. To get this far, they had to knock off the runners-up from #15 Angola in four sets Saturday morning, then knock off rival and 18th-ranked Concordia Lutheran in the sectional final. A compact and terminal outside is the primary focal point of the Saint offense in [player_tooltip player_id='808067' first='Nicolette' last='Watercutter']. Although considered “undersized” (5'9”), she's a primary-passing, full-go and no quit type of outside that has all of the shots in the book to score as much as she does. She's also tough from behind the baseline, scoring even MORE points for her squad. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='762172' first='Braelynn' last='Hodgman'] is a hybrid player who spends some of her time running a 6-2 and the rest attacking from the right side. As much of a mixture as you can get in this sport, she does both skills well.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">#5 Tri-West (22-12) v #6 Northview (28-5), 4p @ Cascade</h2>   This match is exhibit B that the IHSAA draw isn't exactly the best way to show fairness in our sport. In all actuality, these two teams have earned the right to not have to meet until the semi-state semifinal, our equivalent of the Elite Eight/State Quarterfinal. Since you have to beat the best to be the best, this is (almost) the match of the weekend in 3A. The Bruins got here fighting through the gauntlet that is their sectional, beating #10 Guerin Catholic and #12 Danville before knocking off #16 Brebeuf in the final, all in four sets each. To say that they needed this week for a break from their schedule is an understatement. Leading the way is uber-athletic [player_tooltip player_id='260995' first='Caroline' last='Ward'] (SMU commit), who hits a high and heavy ball that just sounds different coming off of her hand. Her setter, [player_tooltip player_id='301136' first='Grace' last='Hargis'] (Queens commit), is the main catalyst for this offense, keeping teams honest with her solid distribution and deception with her hands. Northview, winners of 21 in a row, haven't lost since August, where all five of their losses came at the hands of ranked 4A squads. Athletic and fast, outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='808205' first='Karsyn' last='Buck'] will do anything and everything to keep her high school career alive, as her future is in track and field (she's the state high jump runner-up from last spring). Springy and terminal, she's the go-to for the Knights. First contact will be key, so look no further than [player_tooltip player_id='488299' first='Brinley' last='Deakins'] for receiving a ton of serves and keeping Northview in-system throughout the match.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">#2 Roncalli (29-5) v #1 Cathedral (23-9), 4p @ Greenfield-Central</h2>   If the previous match is exhibit B of a lack of fairness in the “blind draw”, this is CLEARLY exhibit A. These two should have met in the state final in Gainbridge in a couple of weeks, and proves the flaws of this method of selecting postseason teams. Whomever is in attendance in Greenfield, however, will be treated to a state-championship-caliber match with and endless supply of future collegiate talent all over the court. These two have already met twice, with Cathedral winning both. Those matches were in early September, a lifetime ago in volleyball parlance. The Royals got here by knocking off #11 New Palestine in four tough sets, and roll out one of the best one-two punches on offense in any class. [player_tooltip player_id='254827' first='Lydia' last='Stahley'] (Missouri commit) is a long, lean and physical outside that can wear down defenses with her consistency of attack and heavy ball that she hits. She's got all of the shots in the book, and hits at a high attack point. On the other pin, [player_tooltip player_id='221342' first='Lily' last='Jones'] (Central Michigan commit) is yet another physical attacker for the Royals that needs to get the ball in order for this squad to continue to compete this fall. She's a right side, through and through, and does well to not only score points on offense, but is a problem for opponents when she's blocking. On the other side of the net, the Fighting Irish had a far easier time in their sectional, making them well-rested to prepare for this epic battle. They have their own commitments, in the forms of [player_tooltip player_id='355575' first='Avery' last='Lewis'] and [player_tooltip player_id='327227' first='Hayden' last='Mandsager']. Avery, a Georgetown commit, is a fluid middle that uses every bit of her length to defend and attack, and is a matchup problem for anyone she goes against. Hayden, a Ball State commit, hits probably the heaviest ball in this match, and blasts over, around and through undisciplined blocks regularly.

We're down to the last 16 teams in 3A, and there's plenty of excellent volleyball to be seen. Each of the three matches listed below feature ranked teams on both sides of the net, making each matchup THAT much more exciting. You'll notice that the ratings have changed a bit—-indianaprepvolleyball.com has made adjustments to his formula to get us the most accurate ratings available, which reflect the matches played from this past week.