Yorktown volleyball is headed to semistate for the second year in a row.
The Tigers defeated Center Grove, 3-2, in a thrilling regional matchup on Saturday, Oct. 25, to win their fourth regional title in the past six years and get one step closer to another state title berth. Since 2009, Yorktown has made nine state championship appearances — five in Class 3A and four in Class 4A — and won four state titles (3A titles in 2011, 2016 and 2018, and a 4A title in 2020). Last season, the Tigers won their eighth semi-state title in program history and finished as 4A state runners-up.
To get back to the state championship, Yorktown will need to fight its way through the 4A South semistate bracket. The semi-state will be held in Martinsville on Saturday, Nov. 1, starting with a matchup between Plainfield and Castle, followed by Yorktown taking on Floyd Central. Should the Tigers make it out of Martinsville alive, they will advance to the 4A state championship at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Here’s a quick breakdown of all four teams in the 4A South semi-state bracket and what Yorktown needs to go their way to get back to the biggest stage in Indiana high school volleyball:
Plainfield
Plainfield finds itself on an unprecedented run after winning the first regional championship in program history. The Quakers stunned Brownsburg in sectionals and made quick work of their next two opponents, sweeping both Avon in the sectional championship and Lawrence North in the regional. Junior Marlee VanWanzeele is a force in the middle, averaging 2.9 kills per set on a .375 hitting percentage, which ranks 23rd in the state. Sophomore Audrey Utterback is their go-to attacker with an average of 5.1 kills per set and gets great help from fellow sophomore Charlee Groninger, who ranks top five in the state with 1,127 assists. Senior libero Taylor Donovan powers Plainfield’s defense and leads the team with 57 aces on the year.
Castle
First-year head coach Lexi Blackwell took the reigns of Castle volleyball from Daniel Watson, who stepped down last season after 15 years leading the Knights, and she has led Castle right back to the semi-state tournament. The Knights are coming off a third-straight regional championship and finished as state runners-up in 2021 and 2023. Senior Gabby Korba leads the Knights with 3.4 kills per set and ranks second on the team with 158 digs, while junior Paige Furbee is another player to watch with an average of 3.1 kills per set and 50 total blocks. Kyle Sokeland of the Evansville Courier and Press highlighted senior middle blocker Jalyn Zaccardelli as the team’s X-factor; she leads the team with 62 total blocks.
Castle fell to Yorktown in straight sets in the first round of last year’s semi-state, so if the Knights and Tigers both win their first match and advance to Saturday evening’s state championship, the former will surely be hungry for revenge.
Floyd Central
Floyd Central is back in semi-state after winning a second-straight regional title, but the Highlanders have not advanced to a state championship since finishing as state runners-up under the single-class tournament in 1990. The Highlanders have overcome some injuries this season to get back to this stage and will look to knock off reigning semi-state champs Yorktown in the first round. Sophomore attacker Macy Sorg does the heavy lifting offensively with 4.2 kills per set, with fellow sophomore Lillie Furmall helping her out at setter. Junior middles Riley Roberts (89 total blocks) and Riley Jackson (78 total blocks) could also give Yorktown’s undersized lineup some trouble at the net.
Yorktown
Although Yorktown is seeking a second-straight state championship berth, the Tigers are doing it with an almost entirely new group. Seven seniors from last year’s team have graduated, including two all-state players who are now playing Division I NCAA volleyball. Sophomore libero Chloe Ritchie is the lone returning contributor from that team and has taken her play to another level this postseason, particularly against Center Grove in the regional championship. Freshman opposite Kendall Rowray has enjoyed a breakout debut season with an average of 5.1 kills per set, while senior Muncie Burris transfer Mya Trammell has supplanted that with 3.2 kills per set. Freshman setter Landree Johnson was thrust into the starting lineup due to a preseason injury to junior Hannah Clark, but Johnson has stepped up to the challenge by leading the state in assists with 1,184.
Yorktown has a much younger team than it did during last season’s run, with Trammell being the only senior seeing the court consistently. However, the young team has made great strides all season and are battle-tested against other top-ranked teams. Yorktown showed a lot of pluck and grit in their five-set regional win over Center Grove, and coach Stephanie Bloom believes her team’s toughness in those long matches will be key to stacking more victories.
“We said when we started this tournament, ‘I think if we outwork and out-scrap people, I think we can beat them,'” Bloom said. “But you’ve got to be tough to be able to do it because you’ve got to play the long game. I think we saw in that fifth set (vs. Center Grove), we like to play the long game, and not everybody likes to play it with us, and it worked to our advantage, for sure.”
Contact Cade Hampton via email at cbhampton@muncie.gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @CadeHamp10.
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Previewing the 4A South semi-state as Yorktown volleyball seeks return to state finals
Reporting by Cade Hampton, Muncie Star Press / Muncie Star Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
