It's just about go time for area high school volleyball teams.
The postseason push begins this week across the state with sectional play involving 397 teams statewide in four classes for the 52nd annual state tournament series commences.
Sectional championship matches at all 64 sites are slated for Saturday, Oct. 14. Area sectional hosts include Elkhart and Michigan City in Class 4A, Jimtown, Wawasee and Bremen in Class 3A, South Central in Class 2A and Michigan City Marquette Catholic and Lakewood Park Christian in Class 1A.
More:All 64 sectional brackets from across the state
The four-team regionals are Oct. 21 with area hosts LaPorte (4A), NorthWood (3A), Rochester (2A) and Culver (1A). One match semi-states are Oct. 28 with Huntington North and Frankfort the host sites for the northern teams. The state finals are set for Nov. 4 at Ball State University in Muncie.
NorthWood, ranked No. 5 in the final Class 3A poll, lost 3-0 to Bellmont in the North Semistate a year ago. Bellmont ended up as Class 3A state runner-up in 2022. The Panthers headline the sectional field at Wawasee and have won four straight sectional titles. NorthWood was at 26-4 going into its regular-season finale at South Bend Saint Joseph Monday night.
LaPorte and Warsaw, champions of the Duneland Athletic Conference and the Northern Lakes Conference respectively, are among the top area teams in Class 4A. No. 10 LaPorte is the favorite at Michigan City and has won four straight sectional championships. Warsaw is the defending champion at Elkhart, where a strong field also boasts Penn and Elkhart. Penn, under first-year coach Kaitlyn Hickey, won the Northern Indiana Conference title at 11-0.
Warsaw beat LaPorte 3-0 in the regional semifinals in 2022 before losing to Lake Central 3-1 in the regional finale.
New Prairie has won five straight sectional titles and will play in the Class 3A Jimtown Sectional. The Cougars lost 3-0 to NorthWood in a regional final in 2022.
No. 3 South Central is the overwhelming favorite to win its own Class 2A Sectional in Union Mills. The Satellites took the title in 2022. South Central improved to 29-0 with a 3-1 win over New Prairie and then moved to 30-0 with a 3-0 win over Triton last week. South Central lost 3-0 to Andrean in a regional final last season.
Complete sectional pairings with match dates and times can be found at ihsaa.org.
Class 4A Elkhart Sectional
Top contenders: Warsaw, Penn, Elkhart
Warsaw is the favorite and also received a favorable draw into the semifinals Saturday. The Tigers, coached by former Warsaw star Chandra Hepler, own wins over every team in the sectional field. Warsaw beat Penn twice during the regular season. The Tigers, who are 21-8, also topped Northern Lakes Conference foe NorthWood 3-1 en route to winning the league championship at 7-0 for the second straight season.
Warsaw is set to play either Goshen or Northridge in a semifinal matchup Saturday.
Penn has found its groove of late, including an impressive 3-0 win at New Prairie Tuesday night to cap an undefeated league season and move to 16-11 overall. Hickey's team also owns a 3-2 win over host Elkhart. The Kingsmen also drew the bye at Elkhart and will play either Concord or Elkhart in a semifinal.
More on Penn's new coach:Kaitlyn Hickey a former Kingsmen player
Elkhart, which will face Concord in the sectional opener, can never be counted on in the postseason. Coach Jacquie Rost's team, like Penn, has faced a tough schedule. The Lions beat sit at 18-13 and were 10-1 in the NIC to finish as runner-up to Penn after winning the league title in 2022.
All six of the teams in the Elkhart field boast winning records.
Some of the top players to watch at Elkhart include juniors Shannon Rudge and Sarah Noto of Penn, senior Ava Decker and freshman Rylee Drummond of Elkhart and senior Melaina Hawblitzel, junior Maggie Hollon and sophom*ore Ellie Hepler of Warsaw.
Class 4A Michigan City Sectional
Top contenders: LaPorte, Mishawaka, South Bend Adams
The Slicers sit at 26-4 overall and won the DAC championship at 13-1. LaPorte has lost a total of just 10 sets all season.
LaPorte will face Riley in a sectional first-round matchup. The Slicers are led by seniors Emalee Maesch and Ava Holtz.
Mishawaka has continued its resurgence under Hall of Fame coach Steve Anderson. The Cavemen, who surpassed 20 wins, faces host Michigan City in the sectional opener.
Mishawaka boasts plenty of young talent, led by sophom*ore Allie Adams and freshman Ameila Amos.
Adams has put together a strong season. The Eagles went 22-9 and 8-3 in the NIC and will face LaPorte or Riley in a semifinal match at City. The Eagles went 4-0 with wins over New Prairie, Marian, Marquette and Mishawaka to win the New Prairie Invitational Sept. 30.
Adams beat Mishawaka 2-0 in the title match at New Prairie, the program's first win over the Cavemen since 1979. The Eagles are led by the trio of Marcella Niemier, Lauren Quiroz and Makaylah Asuquo.
Class 3A Jimtown Sectional
Top contender: New Prairie
The Cougars always seem to find their best volleyball at postseason time under coach Jordan Staus.
New Prairie dropped to 19-11 after its loss to unbeaten to South Central last week and was set to play rival LaPorte on Monday night to conclude the regular season.
The Cougars, who went 9-2 in the NIC, play Saint Joseph in a sectional first-round contest. New Prairie has six players with 100 or more kills, led by junior Cameron Smith and sophom*ore Jenna Kelly.
St. Joe is paced by senior standout Marley Annis.
Class 3A Wawasee Sectional
Top contender: NorthWood
The Red Slam is far and away the top field headed to play in Syracuse.
Coach Hilary Laidig's team will face Lakeland in the sectional opener. The Panthers, whose lone NLC loss was to Warsaw, are led by the trio of senior Karis Bennett and juniors Claire Payne and Sophia Barber.
NorthWood is the lone team in the field at Wawasee with a winning record.
From earlier this season:NorthWood volleyball looks to take that extra step in 2023
Class 3A Bremen Sectional
Top contenders: Culver Academy, Tippecanoe Valley
Culver Academy, the defending sectional champion, faces John Glenn in the sectional opener. The Eagles, who are 24-6, are led by seniors Jenna Kerr and Megan Gifford.
Valley will face host Bremen in the other first-round matchup. The Vikings, who lost 3-0 to Culver Academy in the regular season, are 19-11. They are led by senior Ava Egolf and junior Mackaylie Costello.
Class 2A South Central Sectional
Top contender: South Central
The Satellites are a huge favorite to repeat as sectional champions. South Central drew a bye and will face Hebron or North Judson in a semifinal clash.
The Satellites, who have lost a total of 10 sets this season, are led by star senior Tatum Wade. The outside hitter is close to 600 kills on the season.
Class 1A MC Marquette Sectional
Top contenders: Marquette, Triton
Marquette is the defending champions and have been in and out of the Top 10 this season. The Blazers drew a bye into the semifinals and will face Westville or Oregon-Davis. Marquette, led by juniors Anna Marie Waddle and Livia Balling, is 19-10.
Triton, which sits at 25-5, faces Culver in the sectional opener. The Trojans are paced by senior star Addyson Viers.
Class 1A Lakewood Park Christian Sectional
Top contender: Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian
No. 2 Blackhawk should repeat as champions at Lakewood Park Christian. Blackhawk, 23-8, plays the hosts in the sectional opener. Blackhawk, which won the Class 1A state title in 2022, is led by seniors Allie Boyer and Abbie Cresse.
Both Bethany Christian and Elkhart Christian Academy received byes and will play in opposite brackets in the semifinals.
