Seymour’s Anna Fish and Journee Brown block an attack by Madison’s Lilly Canida as Hannah Dart looks on during a match this season.
It’s tournament time for Indiana high school volleyball teams, and Jackson County coaches have been preparing their teams for sectionals either at Seymour, Medora or Henryville.
Medora will host a sectional for the first time in school history with a five-team Class A sectional beginning Thursday night. Medora will host Crothersville, New Washington, Trinity Lutheran and Rising Sun.
Brownstown Central will travel to Henryville tonight for a Class 2A sectional match, and Seymour will host five Hoosier Hills Conference teams for a Class 4A sectional beginning Thursday.
The Braves will open defense of its sectional title against Henryville at 7 p.m. today. The Hornets are 7-20.
Austin will play Eastern (Pekin) at 6 p.m. Thursday, followed by Clarksville and Mitchell. Paoli drew a bye and will play the Brownstown-Henryville winner at 11 a.m. Saturday.
Braves coach Jennifer Shade said she is looking forward to the tournament. She said she feels like the Braves and Mitchell are co-favorites for the title.
“We’re not going to overlook anybody. We’re going to take it one game at a time,” she said. “The draw felt perfect for what we wanted it to be.”
The Braves (18-12) did not play Henryville, Clarksville or Paoli during the season.
Brownstown has wins over Mitchell, Austin and Eastern.
“Hopefully, we do our thing and come home with a sectional win,” Shade said.
Seymour has a record of 17-14 going into its match against New Albany (19-12). The Owls were 3-12 at one time and have won 14 of their last 16 matches.
The Owls defeated the Bulldogs on Sept. 21 in a Hoosier Hills Conference match, losing the first two then winning the last three sets.
Coach Angie Lucas spoke on what the Owls need to do in order to have a successful postseason run.
“We must continue to serve aggressively. If we can force teams to be out of the system more, it will be to our advantage,” she said. “We must continue to work as a team and to trust one another to get our jobs done on the court. Blocking will be a key for us as well as pursuing every ball on defense, and we have to control our first contact.”
Lucas looks for an exciting, wide-open tournament.
“I think our sectional is one of the toughest sectionals in the state,” Lucas said. “All teams are well coached and are very competitive. It should be a very fun sectional for fans and players. There isn’t a good or a bad draw because of this competitive play.
“I am so excited about hosting the sectional this year. Playing on our home court is a huge advantage,” she continued. “We are excited about defending our court and are hoping to have a lot of fans to cheer us on. If fans have not had a chance to come and watch this team, I hope that they will be able to make it on Thursday night. They will absolutely fall in love with this team, their hearts and determination. These are high-character young ladies with very supportive parents. I am proud to be their coach.”
The winner of the Seymour-New Albany match will play Jennings County at 11 a.m. Saturday.
Medora coach Hanna Hinderlider said she also is excited about hosting a sectional.
One match will be played at 7 p.m. Thursday with Crothersville (4-24) facing New Washington (7-20). Medora (7-19) will play Rising Sun (15-9) at 11 a.m. Saturday with Trinity (16-15) playing the Crothersville-New Washington winner at 12:30 p.m.
“I’m pretty excited. I think this is an advantage of playing at home. I hope the girls come ready to play,” Hinderlider said. “If they play like they can and they’ve shown this year, they could pull off a win.”
Medora did not play Rising Sun during the season. Hinderlider said the Hornets need to play more consistent on defense.
“It seems a lot of teams find our holes, and that’s where they drop the ball,” she said. “I think making sure that the holes are covered and someone taking the ball, whether they call it or not, will be a big factor.”
Medora Athletic Director Cody Martin said parking will be limited around the school, and he encourages fans attending the tournament to carpool. Fans may park in the main lot on Riley Street across from the gymnasium entrance, on East Main on the other side of the school and near the library.
Crothersville lost to New Washington 25-15, 25-16, 25-13 in a Southern Athletic Conference match on Oct. 2, and coach Scott Sage is looking for revenge from the Tigers.
“We can play a lot better,” he said. “I felt like we played with very little focus, intensity or energy. Our keys for success will continue to be serve receive, ball control and putting balls in play. We are a team that can’t overcome a lot of unforced errors. We need to play clean to have a chance to win.”
Sage said he felt like the Tigers received a good draw.
“I feel OK about the draw. With Shawe Memorial out this year, there are three teams with a bye until Saturday. I was hoping for one of the byes. Yes, the draw was as good as we could hope for,” he said.
Trinity Lutheran defeated both Crothersville and New Washington on the way to a 16-15 season record.
Coach Janet VanLiew said she is looking forward to the tournament.
“I think we will be ready for a long run in the state tournament. If we can stay focused and disciplined, we will make a long run in the tournament,” VanLiew said. “Our sectional will be the first step in the process. We have defeated both Crothersville and New Washington, so we know what to expect from whichever one we end up playing.”
The coach believes the team will be prepared for sectional play.
“We have a quick turnaround since we would play in the championship that night, but we’ve played in a number of all-day tournaments this season,” she said. “We play a challenging schedule. We do this so we’re ready for every team we’ll meet in the state tournament.”
Trinity Lutheran has won nine straight sectionals.