Week Six Top Five In 2A

<p>Moving right along, we have the same theme from yesterday’s article; the same five teams that were in last week’s ranking are shuffled in this week’s ranking. All five changed spots, further establishing this group as contenders for deep runs in October. Much thanks to Zach McCrite and his website, indianaprepvolleyball.com, for all of the work he’s put in to these top fives.</p> <p><strong>#5: Western Boone (12-6)</strong></p> <p><em><strong>Previous Ranking: #4</strong></em></p> <p>Even though the Stars lost twice last week, those losses were to 4A McCutcheon and 4A Noblesville. Continuing that tough scheduling, they play a big and tough 4A Lafayette Harrison squad that has a solid 15-5 record. To kick it up a notch, how about a Thursday night matchup against 1A #3 Lafayette Central Catholic? To stay in first in the Sagamore Conference and have a deep October run, matches like these are great preparation for October. And since the sectionals aren’t seeded, why not? Our focus on the bigs on each roster bring us to <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="85891" first="Kennedy" last="Kiger"] (’23, 5-9 OH), </strong>who is listed as an outside, but will play middle due to her athleticism and speed. She leads the Stars in blocks and is second in kills. </p> <p><strong>#4: Linton-Stockton (15-2)</strong></p> <p><em><strong>Previous Ranking: #5</strong></em></p> <p>Is there such a thing as a quiet 15-2 season? The Miners are establishing themselves well these days, and haven’t lost since August 24, which was against 1A #2 Loogootee. That’s THIRTEEN straight matches for this squad, and there’s another tough match tonight against 16-5 North Knox. I’m a huge fan of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="101227" first="Gentry" last="Warrick"] (’22, 6-1 MB), </strong>whose size and strength lead the Miners in blocks as she pounds over four kills per set while hitting close to .400.</p> <p><strong>#3: Madison-Grant (18-4)</strong></p> <p><em><strong>Previous Ranking: #2</strong></em></p> <p>The shuffle continues for the Argylls, as they’ve been all over the top five for the last few weeks. A loss to 3A #3 Wapahani didn’t hurt, but the loss to Benton Central had them slip a spot. No worries, as their next match is against.....13-6 Wabash? Does ANYONE play an easy schedule anymore? Note to title contenders: four of the five listed here currently lead their conferences, and play some of the toughest ball in the class. Averaging three kills per set while hitting over .300 is no easy task, and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="157435" first="Alexis" last="Baney"] (’23, 5-10 MB)</strong> is doing both with ease, while leading in blocks.</p> <p><strong>#2: Tecumseh (17-2)</strong></p> <p><em><strong>Previous Ranking: #1</strong></em></p> <p>Although the rankings were constructed on Sunday, I would be in error if I didn’t mention the Braves’ sweep of 1A #5 Springs Valley last night. That win, coupled with their dominance of the Pocket Conference, should keep them in the top five for the next little while, barring any bad losses. <strong>Bri Marx (’23, 5-11 RS/MB)</strong> is the unsung heroine for this roster, earning three points per set while hitting close to .300.</p> <p><strong>#1: Andrean (19-4)</strong></p> <p><em><strong>Previous Ranking: #3</strong></em></p> <p>Yeah, yeah. I know what you’re typing. "But they didn’t play anyone this week!" Calm down, angry keyboard commandos. The Fighting 59ers have, week-in and week-out, played the toughest schedule in 2A, bar none. Two more conference wins this past week, plus their Uber-tough strength of schedule, puts them back on top of this list. I’ve mentioned the pins and the setter for this squad, so how about another big kid? <strong>Brooke Molson (’22, 5-11 MB)</strong> leads this roster in blocks and does the dirty work that might not show up in the stat sheet at the end of the night. She’s an Epic United kid that’s taking her training to another level, and should be getting solid looks by now.</p>