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MUNCIE - For a team that lacks a bit of experience at the highest level of Class 4A volleyball, it maybe took Carroll (Fort Wayne) about a set and a half to realize it belongs.

Such was the case for the Chargers in their 3-0 (26-24, 25-22, 25-22) victory over Yorktown in the state championship match.

After outlasting the five-time champion Tigers in the opening set, things seemed to click for the Chargers in set two. After trailing, 8-7, Carroll rolled off a 10-6 spurt and held on. In set three, Carroll trailed by four early, but showed its toughness by rallying for the victory.

“The state finals is a big, pressure moment,” Carroll coach Pandy Sinish said. “We tried our best to not play tight. We knew Yorktown would battle and we kept going at them and keep our offense alive.”

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As that strategy took hold, it allowed the third-ranked Chargers to claim their first state title after runner-up finishes in 1988 and 2015. Carroll finished 33-3, winning its final 12 matches.

Impressively, Carroll did it with only one senior on its roster.

“We were so excited to get here for the experience, knowing what we have coming back,” Sinish said. "We are already excited to make another run next year. We know we will have to work for it because nothing ever comes easy.”

That would sum up the first set in this match. The marathon game featured three lead changes and a whopping nine ties – the last of which came at 24-24. At that point, Carroll’s Lola Sasse and Katelyn Peters each recorded kills to close out the set.

In set two, Bailey Sinish (the coach’s daughter) recorded six kills, including the final two to put the Chargers up two sets.

“It was just a great team effort in that set,” the junior outside hitter said. “We just decided we could do this.”

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Second-ranked Yorktown (33-3) showed its fight by opening the final set with the first four points and eventually held leads of 13-11 and 15-14.

However, hitting woes that plagued the Tigers the entire match proved fatal.

Senior Shanese Williams had a fabulous performance for the Tigers, recording 13 kills with zero errors and a .542 hitting percentage. The rest of the team, however, combined for a .040 hitting percentage.

“We struggled to get into a rhythm,” Yorktown coach Stephanie Bloom lamented. “You have to credit Carroll for that. Their blockers are really solid and they are gutsy on defense. We just never could quite get over the hump when we’d get a lead.”

The Chargers took the lead for good at 17-16 and closed the match on a Sinish kill. She finished with 15 in the match.

Yorktown was making its 10th appearance in the state finals in program history and is now 5-5 in its appearances – the last victory coming in 2020.

Class 4A State Championship Records

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Yorktown's Claire Hazen honored with Mental Attitude Award

Following the match, Claire Hazen of Yorktown High School was announced as the recipient of the Mental Attitude Award by the IHSAA Exective Committee.

Claire ranks in the top five percent of her senior class and won the academic award of excellence from Yorktown High school for the 2023-24 school year. In addition, she serves as a Master Mentor for Yorktown High School and is a member of the National Honor Society.

Claire is an exceptional multisport athlete playing volleyball, basketball, and softball for the Tigers. She has earned the state coaches association All-State Gold Award, and multiple all-county and all-conference awards across her three sports.

She is the daughter of Neal and Becky Hazen of Yorktown, IN and is hopeful of earning a bid to the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, CT.

The Mental Attitude Award is annually presented to a senior nominated by her principal and coach, and has demonstrated excellence in mental attitude, scholarship, leadership, and athletic ability during her four years of high school.

Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance, a corporate partner of the IHSAA, presented a $1,000 scholarship to Yorktown High School’s general scholarship fund in the name of Claire Hazen.