WEST LAFAYETTE ― The clash between Zionsville and Lafayette Jeff Thursday, May 15, indicated just how far boys volleyball in Indiana has come as it concludes the first season under IHSAA overwatch.
While the Indianapolis area has produced nationally ranked high school teams, there were questions about whether or not Lafayette Jeff could handle the size and pressure brought about by Zionsville.
Zionsville beat Lafayette Jeff twice during the regular season but faced determined resistance from the Bronchos. Zionsville was more consistent.
Seniors 6-foot-5 outside hitter Anders Christianson pounded 15 kills, left hander Mason Archer slammed 11 kills and Liam Vigil added 10 kills as the Eagles outlasted Lafayette Jeff in a first-round thriller of the IHSAA sectional quarterfinals, 11-25, 25-20, 25-22, 20-25, 15-11.
The other sectional quarterfinal saw Harrison sweep North Putnam in three sets, 25-11, 25-8, 25-20. Harrison will face Zionsville in the second semifinal Saturday, May 17, with the championship game later that night at Harrison.
Senior captain Kevin Braxton led the Bronchos with 14 kills, junior Azlan Rodriguez added 13 kills and junior setter Josh Waller totaled eight kills, 12 digs and four assists for Lafayette Jeff (17-8).
“We played amazing, we played with our heart, and we made a bridge off that,” Waller said. “We played as a family, and we were all there.”
FINAL: Zionsville beats Lafayette Jeff in five sets 11-25 25-20 25-22 20-25 15-11 pic.twitter.com/xPjWLtngeG
Lafayette Jeff struggled containing Christianson while Zionsville (22-10) collectively began hitting short middle shots. Zionsville overcame being down 15-9 in the third set before Lafayette Jeff rallied in the fourth.
Lafayette Jeff forced the fifth set despite starting junior middle blocker Colin Smith injuring his left ankle in the fourth frame.
“It was a heartbreaker, but we knew he was going to support us no matter what, whether he was on the court or on the bench,” Braxton said.
Lafayette Jeff will many return key players next year, including Rodriguez and Waller, who are receiving college looks.
Rodriguez led the Bronchos with 208 kills while Waller proved to be a well-rounded player, totaling 118 kills, 102 digs and 59 assists for the 2025 campaign.
Set-by-set breakdown of Lafayette Jeff vs. Zionsville
Set one: Zionsville looked like a team that woke up from a nap, while Lafayette Jeff looked engaged from the jump. A 3-0 lead ballooned to an 18-6 advantage. Junior setter Josh Waller and libero Edwin Rodriguez-Arteaga led a strong shot receive and never looked out of sorts. The balance of Waller set the stage for senior Kevin Braxton with three kills and a block. Junior Azlan Rodriguez has a 4-foot vertical and swift enough to play defensive specialist or libero in college. Lafayette Jeff couldn’t have asked for a better start.
Set two: Zionsville senior lefty outside hitter Mason Archer went on the offensive. Controlling passing in the back row, they were able to turn the momentum of the match. Short side and far side shots found their mark and the back row for Lafayette Jeff splintered. Zionsville won the set by five, but the gap felt larger.
Some trickery from Azlan Rodriguez.
Lafayette Jeff ahead 21-18 third set. pic.twitter.com/AdJHrfYNK6
Set three: Zionsville kept its composure in the crunch and Lafayette Jeff didn’t. A pair of late third set hitting errors plus a debated touch ultimately helped the Eagles claw back from a 15-9 deficit to take set three. Christianson and Archer provided the juice offensively backed by libero Landon Scroggins. Rodriguez had the highlight play, but Zionsville was more consistent in its shot receive.
Set four: This set illustrated what makes the speed and strategy of volleyball entertaining and fun. And it came with some drama with Smith’s injury. Senior Kmaury Moten gave Lafayette Jeff a boost off the bench, while an explosive effort from Rodriguez and Josh Waller forced a fifth set.
Set five: Lafayette Jeff ran out of steam, struggling against the physicality of Archer, Vigil and Christianson. Rodriguez had some flashes, but errors on shot receive doomed Lafayette Jeff.
Harrison learns lessons in sweep over North Putnam
Harrison, led by sophomore 6-foot-3 outside hitter Cole Hess and junior Emerson Mohr, made the first two sets look easy.
But then an 8-4 deficit morphed into a 14-10 drought against North Putnam (5-11) in the third set.
“I think our communication was off and we brought that connection back up,” Mohr said.
Eventually Harrison found its way to earn the sweep and set up a semifinal matchup with Zionsville on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. The winner plays either McCutcheon (14-9) or Lebanon (4-7-1) for the first IHSAA sectional championship in Harold May Gymnasium in West Lafayette at 6 p.m. later that day.
Hess believes Harrison is prepared to play Zionsville, ranked No. 6 in the state according to rankings on maxpreps.com.
“I think they’re more beatable now, now that we got to watch them play,” Hess said.
Ethan Hanson is the sports reporter for the Journal & Courier in Lafayette. He can be reached at ehanson@jconline.com, on Twitter at EthanAHanson and Instagram at ethan_a_hanson.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: How Zionsville outlasted Lafayette Jeff in IHSAA boys volleyball sectional thriller
Reporting by Ethan Hanson, Lafayette Journal & Courier / Lafayette Journal & Courier
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