The Warsaw volleyball team hopes to be in a celebratory mood come sectional time next week. The Tigers will face Elkhart Memorial in a first-round match at Concord.

The road to a volleyball sectional championship will be a long one for Warsaw.

For NorthWood, though, the path will be much shorter and much more familiar too.

The Tigers and the Panthers both now know their sectional foes for postseason play which begins with the sectional round next week.

The IHSAA conducted the pairings for the 46th annual state tournament series in Indianapolis on Monday night. A total of 397 teams are entered in the four class event.

Sectional action at 64 sites in the four classes begins next week. Sectional finals are slated for Saturday, Oct. 14. Regionals, which are back to now including four teams, will be played Oct. 21 with semistates Oct. 28 and the State Finals on Nov. 4 at Ball State University in Muncie.

Warsaw will compete in the Class 4-A sectional hosted by Concord this year. The Tigers will face conference foe Elkhart Memorial in a first-round matchup on Thursday, Oct. 12. The Tigers, who are 19-13, beat the Crimson Chargers 25-17, 25-16, 25-21 in their conference meeting in the Tiger Den on Aug. 29. Warsaw also beat Memorial 2-1 in pol play of the Mishawaka Invitational on Aug. 26.

Warsaw, which will play at Concord Thursday night in its conference and regular season finale, has been up and down this season. They defeated a strong Carmel team en route to a second place finish in the Mishawaka Invitational, but are 4-2 in league play after a tough 3-2 loss at NorthWood last Thursday night. The Tigers are led by senior star Lexie Day and outstanding junior setter Kacy Bragg.

The Tigers, who are 19-13, last won a sectional title back in 2004. Memorial, a perennial power under coach Jacquie Rost, has struggled for the second straight year. The Chargers, who own four State Finals appearances including a pair of state runner-up finishes under longtime coach Rost, are 10-18.

Concord, which sits at 21-9 overall and 6-0 in conference play, is the defending sectional champion. The Minutemen drew a bye and will play Elkhart Central in a semifinal match on Oct. 14 in their six-team sectional.

Senior Kennedy Wiens has been outstanding for NorthWood this season. The Panthers host a Class 3-A sectional.

NorthWood will just need to win two matches, both on Oct. 14, to claim a sectional crown. The Panthers will also get to play on their homecourt for the Class 3-A sectional tourney. NorthWood, currently 20-9, will face Lakeland in a semifinal match.

The Panthers, who won the sectional two years ago, are led by senior star Kennedy Wiens.

Wawasee will face a strong West Noble team in the sectional opener at NorthWood on Oct. 12. The Warriors are 5-26 on the season. Tippecanoe Valley, sporting a 20-11 mark, will play Fairfield in a first-round match at NorthWood.

Triton will shoot for its fourth straight sectional title at Culver. The Trojans meet South Central in the opening match of the seven-team Class 1-A event on Oct. 10. The winner of that match will face the hosts in a semifinal on Oct. 14.

Lakeland Christian Academy received a favorable draw. The Cougars got a bye and will play host Fremont in a Class 1-A sectional semifinal on Oct 14.

Whitko will compete in the Class 2-A Rochester Sectional. The Wildcats, who are coached by former Warsaw coach Mike Howard, will face Wabash in the opener at Rochester on Oct. 12.

Area sectional winners will advance to regionals at LaPorte (4A), Norwell (3A), Taylor (2A) and Culver (1A). The Concord Sectional winner will face the Lowell Sectional champion. The NorthWood Sectional champion will meet the Mississinewa Sectional winner. The Culver Sectional winner will face the South Newton Sectional champion. The Rochester Sectional champion will meet the Clinton Prairie Sectional winner.

The North Semistate hosts will be Plymouth and Frankfort. The IHSAA will make semistate assignments for teams on Oct. 22 following the regionals.

Sectional Pairings

Class 4-A
At Concord
Oct. 12: 5:30 p.m.: Match 1: Goshen vs. Northridge
Oct. 12: 7 p.m.: Match 2: Elkhart Memorial vs. Warsaw
Oct. 14: 10 a.m.: Match 3: Match 1 winner vs. Match 2 winner
Oct. 14: 11:30 a.m.: Match 4: Concord vs. Elkhart Central
Oct. 14: 7 p.m.: Match 5: Championship

Class 3-A
At NorthWood
Oct. 12: 6 p.m.: Match 1: West Noble vs. Wawasee
Oct. 12: 7:30 p.m.: Match 2: Tippecanoe Valley vs. Fairfield
Oct. 14: 11 a.m.: Match 3: Match 1 winner vs. Match 2 winner
Oct. 14: 12:30 p.m.:Match 4: Lakeland vs. NorthWood
Oct. 14: 5 p.m.: Match 5: Championship

Class 2-A
At Rochester
Oct. 12: 5 p.m.: Match 1: Wabash vs. Whitko
Oct. 12: 6:30 p.m.: Match 2: Manchester vs. Cass
Oct. 14: 11 a.m.: Match 3: Match 1 winner vs. Match 2 winner
Oct. 14: 12:30 p.m.: Match 4: North Miami vs. Rochester
Oct. 14: 6 p.m.: Match 5: Championship

Class 1-A
At Culver
Oct. 10: 7 p.m.: Match 1: South Central vs. Triton
Oct. 12: Match 2: South Bend Career Academy vs. LaCrosse
Oct. 12: Match 3: Oregon-Davis vs. Argos
Oct. 14: 11 a.m.: Match 4: Culver vs. Winner Match 1
Oct. 14: 12:30 p.m.: Match 5: Winner Match 2 vs. Winner Match 3
Oct. 14: 7 p.m.: Match 6: Championship

At Fremont
Oct. 12: 5 p.m.: Match 1: Bethany Christian vs. Elkhart Christian Academy
Oct. 12: 6:30 p.m.: Match 2: Lakewood Park Christian vs. Hamilton
Oct. 14: 11 a.m.: Match 3: Winner Match 1 vs. Winner Match 2
Oct. 14: 12:30 p.m.: Match 4: Lakeland Christian Academy vs. Fremont
Oct. 14: 6 p.m.: Match 5: Championship