Tigers Draw Long Sectional Path
The Warsaw volleyball team will have to take the long road in its quest for a sectional championship.
The Tigers will need to win three matches in the Class 4-A Concord Sectional, which begins on Oct. 23.
Statewide pairings for the 43rd annual volleyball state tournament series were drawn by the IHSAA this morning in Indianapolis.
Sectional play across the state begins the week of Oct. 20. Sectional championship matches are scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 25. One-match regionals are slated for Tuesday, Oct. 28 with four-team semi states Nov. 1 and the four State Finals matches on Nov. 8 at Ball State University.
Warsaw, whose last sectional title came in 2004, will face defending sectional champion Elkhart Central in the opening match at Concord on Oct. 23. The winner of that match will then play the winner of the Northridge-Concord match on Oct. 25 in a semifinal.
Elkhart Memorial, ranked No. 11 in this week’s Class 4-A coaches poll, and Goshen drew the bye match at Concord and will meet in a semifinal on Oct. 25.
The Tigers, who host Penn tonight, sit at 24-4. Warsaw has not played Central this season, but is 4-1 versus the rest of the sectional field. The Tigers went 7-0 to win the NLC title, finishing out conference play with a close 3-0 home win over Concord last Thursday night.
Warsaw has won 16 of its last 17 matches with the lone loss being a 2-1 setback to Concord in the Michigan City Invitational.
The trio of Wawasee, Tippecanoe Valley and Whitko will all be in action at the Class 3-A Fairfield Sectional. Whitko will play Fairfield in the opener on Oct. 21 with Wawasee meeting Valley in the second first-round match on Oct. 23.
Both Triton and Lakeland Christian Academy will take part in Class 1-A sectional action.
Triton will face LaCrosse in the opening match of the Culver Sectional. LCA drew the bye at Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian and will play Bethany Christian in a semifinal matchup.
The winners of sectional play at Concord and at Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian will host regional matches on Oct. 28. The Concord winner will play the winner of the South Bend Clay Sectional and the Blackhawk champion will face the winner of the ..
The winners of sectional action at Fairfield and at Culver will be on the road for regional play. The Fairfield Sectional winner plays at the Fort Wayne Concordia champion while the Culver champion goes to the winner of the Fort Wayne Blackhawk Sectional.
Area Sectional Pairings
Class 4-A
At Concord
Oct. 23: 5:30 p.m.: Match 1: Elkhart Central vs. Warsaw
Oct. 23: Match 2: Northridge vs. Concord
Oct. 25: 10 a.m. Match 3: Match 1 winner vs. Match 2 winner
Oct. 25: Match 4: Goshen vs. Elkhart Memorial
Oct. 25: 7 p.m.: Match 5: Championship
Class 3-A
At Fairfield
Oct. 21: 7 p.m.: Match 1: Fairfield vs. Whitko
Oct. 23: 6 p.m.: Match 2: Tippecanoe Valley vs. Wawasee
Oct. 23: Match 3: West Noble vs. NorthWood
Oct. 25: 11 a.m.: Match 4: Lakeland vs. Match 1 winner
Oct. 25: Match 5: Match 2 winner vs. Match 3 winner
Oct. 25: 5 p.m.: Match 6: Championship
Class 1-A
At Culver
Oct. 21: 6:30 p.m.: Match 1: LaCrosse vs. Triton
Oct. 21: 8 p.m.: Match 2: Argos vs. South Central
Oct. 23: 6:30 p.m.: Match 3: Match 1 winner vs. Match 2 winner
Oct. 23: 8 p.m.: Match 4: Culver vs. Oregon-Davis
Oct. 25: 11 a.m.: Match 5: Championship
At Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian
Oct. 21: 6 p.m.: Match 1: Elkhart Christian Academy vs. Hamilton
Oct. 21: Match 2: FW Blackhawk vs. Lakewood Park
Oct. 23: 6 p.m.: Match 3: Match 1 winner vs. Match 2 winner
Oct. 23: Match 4: Lakeland Christian Academy vs. Bethany Christian
Oct. 25: 10 a.m.: Match 5: Championship