Top Five In 1A This Week: Start The Road To Worthen

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In our final top five of the season, we talk about sectional openers and the players that can push them past the sectional. Here they are, with our rankings based on the Z-ratings provided by IndianaPrepVolleyball.com for free.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>All records are through 10/3.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">#5: Rivet (23-2)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Winners of eighteen (!!!) in a row, the Patriots have put together one of their better seasons in recent memory. The Herman sisters have done the majority of the work, with <strong>Anna Herman ('24, 6-2 MB/OH)</strong> using her size and athleticism to her advantage against the smaller schools on the schedule. Younger sis <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='573344' first='Mary' last='Herman'] ('25, 6-1 MB/S)</strong> runs part of a 6-2 for the Patriots, and is a nightmare to defend when she's in the front row. Their first-round matchup is against Shoals (9-17) on October 12, but it's the bad luck of the IHSAA draw having them in the same half of the sectional as 1A #2 Springs Valley (24-3).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">#4: Southwood (21-4)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A young, athletic and talented Knights squad goes headfirst into the postseason with all of the confidence in the world, winners of seven straight as of this writing. They'll need all of that athleticism when they host Caston (23-7) in a sectional semifinal in October 14. Freshman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='494521' first='Shania' last='Rhamy'] ('27, 5-8 OH)</strong> leads the way on the attack, while hybrid big <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='239310' first='Grace' last='Drake'] ('25, 6-0 S/Pin)</strong> can run an offense as efficiently as she can put balls away.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">#3: Blackhawk Christian (22-8)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Playing easily one of the toughest schedules in all of 1A, the Braves look prepared to defend their 1A state title from a year ago. They open at Lakewood Park Christian (7-16) on October 12. With one of the biggest pair of attackers in the state, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='230528' first='Abbie' last='Cresse'] ('24, 6-3 MB, Dayton commit)</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='230529' first='Allie' last='Boyer'] ('24, 6-2 OH)</strong> will get the great majority of the attempts in order for them to repeat.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">#2: Springs Valley (24-3)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Blackhawks are, once again, in the top five list thanks to an incredible season. Sisters <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='110507' first='Leigh' last='Carnes'] ('24, 5-10 S/Pin)</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='209451' first='Maddie' last='Carnes'] ('26, 5-10 S/Pin)</strong> do everything for this squad, and will need to do a bit more knowing that the winner of their sectional semifinal will most likely win the sectional. They get the Shoals/Rivet winner on Saturday, October 14.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">#1: Tecumseh (25-4)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If you know anything about the Brave athletics program, you know that their girls sports win state titles regularly. Basketball and softball are two that come to mind recently, and once again are competing for the top spot in volleyball. This senior-heavy team is led by <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='230530' first='Jenna' last='Donohoo'] ('24, 5-10 Pin), </strong>who will use her athleticism and volleyball IQ to challenge all defenses. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='157434' first='Payge' last='Johnson'] ('24, 5-8 S/OH)</strong> is part of a solid 6-2 and can put balls away on her own as well. The Braves open their sectional against Cannelton (7-13) on October 14 in a sectional semifinal.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->