Senior staff writer
Roncalli opens defense of its Marion County girls volleyball championship at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 26 against Franklin Central. The two rivals met in their season openers with Roncalli sweeping the match 25-23, 25-20, 25-15.
Other opening round matches Sept. 26 finds Perry Meridian at Lutheran at 5:30 p.m.; Southport vs. Decatur Central at Roncalli at 7 p.m.; and Beech Grove vs. Lawrence North at Speedway at 7 p.m. Semifinals are Sept. 27 at Roncalli and Speedway with Lawrence North hosts for the final four at 10 a.m. Sept. 29, followed by the championship match.
Roncalli (17-4) upended visiting Perry Meridian 3-1 Monday (25-23, 25-12, 23-25, 25-19), overcoming PM’s Caitie Baird’s 16 kills and 21 digs and Molly Shannon’s 21 assists. The Rebels are led by seniors Elizabeth Eads in kills and blocks, Betsy Crosley No. 2 in blocks, junior libero Elizabeth Origer in assists and freshman Emma Halter in digs.
Franklin Central (14-6) is paced by senior Jenna Riley with more than 200 kills and sophomore Carly Sobieralski with over 450 assists. Perry Meridian (10-4) showed its grit last week against Greenwood by coming from behind (20-12) in the fourth set and defeating the Woodmen 25-23 for a 3-1 victory.
The Southport-Decatur Central pairing is a rematch; the Cardinals swept DC in the season opener (25-22, 25-20, 25-14) with 20 digs by junior Vanessa Miller, 23 assists by sophomore Rachel Campbell and 12 kills by junior Laruen Cullison.
The Cardinals are 3-3 against county teams. Beech Grove has won six of its last 13 matches after dropping its first five of the season. The Johnson County tourney in Edinburgh also begins Sept. 26 with Center Grove a heavy favorite to defend its championship. Semifinals and championship matches are Sept. 27.
The Trojans (13-4) warm up for the tourney Saturday in the Lady Irish Invitational at Cathedral. The Trojans are paced by junior Wisconsin commit MJ Hammill in digs, Ashley Eck in assists and Calista Stafford in kills. Greenwood (11-10) wound up 2-2 in the Franklin Invitational by winning its last two matches against Connersville and Decatur Central.
The Woodmen are paced by seniors Alyssa Stilley with 123 kills and setter Maddy Limbach (195 assists). Greenwood Christian Academy (8-11) is in the tourney for only the second year. The Class A Cougars dropped four games to 4A opponents Saturday in the Warren Central Invitational.