3A: Unsung Teams And Athletes
In this article:
Down to the final sixteen teams in each class, we spend a little time on the teams and players that have not received as much publicity as they should have. Truthfully, it’s hard to win a sectional, and to be…
Access all of Prep Dig
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingDown to the final sixteen teams in each class, we spend a little time on the teams and players that have not received as much publicity as they should have. Truthfully, it’s hard to win a sectional, and to be among the elite after the first week of postseason is an impressive feat. Here are four teams and their respective players that have made an impact and should garner more attention moving forward.
Culver Academies (26-7)
Congrats to the Eagles on their sectional championship! Getting West Lafayette in the regional semifinal will be a tough task for this team from up north, but I’m sure they’re up to the task. One player that should be seeing a little more attention from defenses is Jenna Kerr (’24, 5-10 MB), who could probably play any position along the front line because of her high contact point, but is placed in the middle because of her physicality and length.
Hanover Central (16-13)
The Wildcats had an easy go of it in their sectional, with each of their records’ under .500. Things get a little tougher once out of the sectional, and Saturday morning will be their biggest match of the season against New Prairie. A spitfire of an outside, Stephanie Mancusi-Edwards (’23, 5-5 OH/DS) is their primary-passing go-to outside that will probably defend at the next level, but is taking advantage of her live arm to the tune of over three kills per set while hitting near .300.
Angola (25-7)
I realize that this isn’t exactly an “under the radar” pick, but hear me out. Bishop Dwenger, the defending 3A champ, was in this sectional, lost to Concordia Lutheran Saturday morning. CL then turned around later Saturday and lost to Angola. So, as far as I’m concerned, there aren’t too many people out there who picked Angola to win this sectional, including this author. Now that the smoke has cleared, the Hornets get perennial power Bellmont in the regional semifinal on Saturday, another tough test for this massive squad. One of many big hitters for Angola, Morgan Gaerte Morgan Gaerte 6'4" | OH Angola | 2024 State #26 Nation IN (’24, 6-4 OH/RS/MB) is a hybrid of a player and literally a physical force that the Braves might not have an answer for. I’ve seen Morgan play the left pin live, but she’s more than capable of attacking from all positions, both in front and in back.
Greensburg (21-6)
The nervousness of staying undefeated was the Pirates’ M.O. last fall, but with their tough losses out of the way, the focus can now be on advancing through the regional. A tough Evansville Memorial squad awaits Saturday, who has been in and out of my top five all season. Another program with multiple bigs that can put balls away, I’ll mention Ella Chapman Ella Chapman 6'3" | MB Greensburg | 2023 State IN (’23, 6-4 MB), who runs Western Kentucky-styled middle attacks and goes over everyone. Tough to defend if the block is irrelevant.