Seeking their first regional title since 2014, the Adams Central Flying Jets are riding high after winning the rubber match with rival South Adams in last week’s sectional final, a five-set thriller that has the team dreaming about more wins.
Standing in the way will be Lafayette Central Catholic, a team that eliminated South Adams in last year’s tournament. That LCC team won 3-1 over the Starfires, but met a quick end against a very good Wapahani team that went all the way to the 2A state title in Muncie.
The Jets have thrived on being underestimated all season, picking off South Adams for both the conference tournament title and the IHSAA sectional title.
What do this year’s Jets have to do to match the accomplishments of that great 2014 team with girls like Haley Gross, Whitney Peterson and Jenni Baumer?
They’ll need to be dynamic and run their offense through more than just Hillary Tobias, who should cross the 400 kill mark Saturday morning. Paige Hamilton and Maci Henry will need to find their way around a very good blocking team in the Knights, who feature Cece Swisher at 6′ 0″ and has 100+ blocks in 2023.
Coach Tami Henry’s team will also need to account for Carley Barrett, the lethal junior outside hitter for LCC.
The Jets will have the best server on the court when the two teams meet Saturday morning as Mati Henry is one of the leaders in 2A across the state in service aces.
A win in the morning round would likely give the Jets a rematch against long-time powerhouse Muncie Burris, who seem to be back on the ascent in Indiana volleyball. The Owls have a 27-4 record and are the favorites to advance to the semi-state, according to the computers.
Saturday morning’s match between Adams Central and Lafayette Central Catholic will be broadcast live on WZBD’s YouTube channel, with Ed Thurman and Dave Nathan on the call, and will also be aired on 92.7 after the conclusion of the Bellmont match. The match will remain available on archive.
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