East Central Indiana volleyball: Sectional Round 1 recaps, semifinal match previews
NEW CASTLE, Ind. — IHSAA volleyball sectional week is underway, and a few East Central Indiana teams still have a chance at a title.
Five area squads won their first-round matches, which took place on Tuesday and Thursday, while three others — Daleville, Cowan and Shenandoah — drew first-round byes and are eagerly awaiting their postseasons debuts on Saturday.
In the Class A Sectional 55 semifinals, host Daleville (21-8) will play Tri-Central (15-14) at 11 a.m. These two teams did not meet in the regular season and have performed similarly against common opponents.
In that same sectional, the following semifinal match at 12:30 p.m. is Cowan (6-21) v. Liberty Christian (10-13). These teams also haven't met this year, but the Blackhawks are 2-4 against common opponents compared to the Lions' 1-5 record.
In the Class 2A Sectional 41 semifinals at Knightstown, Shenandoah (3-22) will play Northeastern (18-11) at 12:30 p.m. The Raiders are 2-13 against common opponents compared to the Knights' 8-8 record.
Here's a recap of all the first-round matches involving ECI teams this week, as well as previews of Saturday's rounds:
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Class 3A Sectional 24 (at New Castle)
Delta 3, New Castle 2
Considering these teams played a five-set thriller on Oct. 4, it was no surprise that this matchup was close once again.
In the first meeting, the Trojans (21-10) earned a comeback victory, and nearly did so again after dropping the first two sets. But the Eagles (14-9) learned from their previous mistakes and held on to win 25-23, 25-16, 17-25, 18-25, 15-6 on Thursday.
Delta's players rushed the court and took group pictures in front of the scoreboard and at center court following the exciting triumph. Considering the team entered the evening 2-4 in five-set matches, including consecutive losses to end the regular season, the celebration was warranted.
"I talked about it earlier this season — the more five set matches we can see early, the more seasoned we're going to be," Delta interim head coach Josh Collins said. "That was my message going into the fifth set with the girls, 'This is our set. We take this home and I'll see you guys at practice tomorrow.' That was our mentality going into that last set, and they came out and they just played and gave me everything that they had. So I couldn't ask for more."
The match was a classic case of sports momentum dictating the outcome. The Trojans looked good early before the Eagles stole the first set in the final moments, which vaulted them to a dominant second-set victory as the student section and bench provided energy.
Collins said his girls then "fell asleep" in the next two sets, which allowed New Castle's crowd and bench to wake up and quickly turn the match around. The Trojans' roster doesn't have as many athletes as Delta, but the team has sound defensive fundamentals that shined as the evening progressed.
The Eagles' defense, conversely, became shaky once they lost focus and let their opponent gain confidence. Entering the fifth frame, it seemed New Castle would again complete a comeback, but Collins refocused his girls on what was working earlier.
"I looked at (Addie Phillippe), our setter, and told her, 'Who's our hot hand right now?' She said, 'Emily (Reno),': Collins said. "I said, 'Emily, I don't need you doing anything crazy. Just stay big, get that ball up and over. You will score,' ... (Phillippe) did a really nice job facilitating an offense rather than just being a setter, and that's big coming on down the stretch."
That game plan worked perfectly as Reno scored three straight points to open the final set, recapturing belief for her teammates that they'd carry the rest of the way. The junior finished with 17 kills, her second-highest total of the season.
Senior Camaya Murry was also tremendous, notching 10 kills in addition to leading the Eagles in digs (15) and aces (four). Phillippe's 46 assists was her second-highest mark on the year, and many of senior Kendra Keesling's 10 kills and team-high three blocks were pivotal to the winning effort as well.
Delta entered this postseason having lost three of its last four matches, so Collins hopes his girls can build off of overcoming a comeback effort from a solid opponent on their home court.
Semifinals and championship schedule
Delta will play the sectional favorite, Frankton (26-6), in a battle of the Eagles in the semifinals at noon Saturday, Oct. 15. Frankton is a solid squad led by upperclassmen, but Delta has performed much better again common opponents like New Castle, Daleville, Muncie Burris and Pendleton Heights.
Collins said while he'll try to look at some film to scout Frankton, Delta has the talent to determine its own fate.
"It's more about us rather than the opponent across the net," Collins said. "I feel that our kids are trying so hard that if we can take care of things on our side of the net, we should be all right. That's a big should, but I'll always take our chances in a street fight against somebody."
Prior to Delta v. Frankton, the other semifinal match at 11 a.m. will be between Jay County (8-22) and Centerville (6-20) as both teams drew a first-round bye.
The semifinals winners will play in the championship at 6 p.m. Saturday.
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Class 4A Sectional 9 (at Yorktown)
Pendleton Heights 3, Muncie Central 0
Muncie Central (9-15) on Tuesday lost its first round match against Pendleton Heights 3-0 (8-25, 11-25, 10-25).
The Bearcats were led by seniors Jocelyn Roberson (three kills, 13 digs, 22 receptions) and Libby Miller (six assists), and juniors Renee Voss (four blocks) and Jillian Kimmel (13 digs).
Yorktown 3, Richmond 0
Yorktown (29-2) on Thursday won its first round matchup against Richmond 3-0 (25-5, 25-1, 25-9).
The hosting Tigers were led by seniors Emilee Hill (24 assists) and Gretchen Moore (six blocks, six kills), and sophomores Charlotte Vinson (11 kills) and Addi Applegate (eight digs, five receptions).
Semifinals and championship schedule
Yorktown will play Mt. Vernon (12-20) in the semifinals at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 15. The Tigers handily swept the Marauders on Sept. 8 (25-9, 25-13, 25-6) and are 11-1 against common opponents compared to Mt. Vernon's 2-10 record.
If Yorktown wins, it will play the winner of Pendleton Heights (22-10) v. Greenfield-Central (14-16), both teams the Tigers swept previously this season, in the championship at 6 p.m. Saturday.
Class 2A Sectional 40 (at Wapahani)
Wapahani 3, Monroe Central 0
Wapahani (26-5) on Tuesday swept Monroe Central (4-21) 25-4, 25-3, 25-6.
The Raiders were led by seniors Camryn Wise (10 kills, two blocks), Macie Bowden (30 assists), Bryleigh Felton (eight aces) and Reese Baker (seven digs).
Muncie Burris 3, Winchester 0
Muncie Burris (19-13) on Thursday swept Winchester (19-13) 25-8, 25-20, 25-20).
The Owls were led by sophomore Lilly Howell (career-high 22 kills, two blocks), senior Maggie Dungan (24 assists) and juniors Layla Gonzales (22 digs, 18 receptions) and Aubrey Miller (three aces).
Wes-Del 3, Lapel 1
Wes-Del (23-7) on Thursday defeated Lapel 3-1 (25-23, 19-25, 25-23, 25-22).
Semifinals and championship schedule
The first semifinal match on Saturday is Wapahani v. Alexandria (16-15) at 11 a.m. The Raiders swept this matchup 25-8, 25-9, 25-17 at home on Sept. 22 and are 8-0 against common opponents compared to the Tigers' 4-4 record.
The following semifinal match at 12:30 p.m. is Burris v. Wes-Del. These teams haven't faced each other this season, but the Owls have done better (4-1) against common opponents with the Warriors (4-3).
Class 2A Sectional 39 (at Madison-Grant)
Tipton 3, Blackford 0
Blackford (16-16) on Thursday was swept in its first round match against Tipton 16-25, 7-25, 14-25.
Class A Sectional 56 (at Union)
Seton Catholic 3, Union (Modoc) 0
Union (2-20) on Thursday was swept in its first round match against Seton Catholic 25-21, 25-12, 25-7.
Semifinals and championship schedule
Blue River (15-10) will play Tri (5-22) in the first semifinal match at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 15. The Vikings have won this matchup 3-0 twice already this season and are 11-5 against common opponents compared to Tri's 3-15 record.
The winner of this match will play the winner of Seton Catholic (20-8) v. Cambridge City Lincoln (23-6) in the championship at 6 p.m. Saturday.
Gus Martin is a sports reporter at The Star Press. Follow him on Twitter @GusMartin_SP, and contact him at gmartin@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: ECI volleyball sectional round 1 recaps, semifinal match previews
