News

Four teams that participated in last year’s event including two defending state champions make up the field for the 41st Annual IHSAA Volleyball State Finals on Saturday in Muncie.

All four state championship matches will be televised live from Ball State’s Worthen Arena to a state-wide audience on the IHSAA Champions Network. Each match also may be seen via webstream at IHSAAtv.org. First serve of the Class A state championship match will be at 11 am ET, with the Class 2A match at 1 pm, 3A at 3 pm and 4A at 5 pm. Though any match could run longer than three sets, no match will begin earlier than the time listed.

Neighboring Delaware County schools Wapahani (2A) and Yorktown (3A) are both ranked a top their respective state coaches poll and are the defending state champions while Avon (4A) and Indianapolis Bishop Chatard (3A) both settled for a runner-up spot in 2011 and look to take that last step.

In order to repeat as champion and win its third overall, Wapahani (32-4) will have to get past No. 2 Providence (35-4) which is chasing its first state championship in the sport. Wapahani has turned away three straight top eight opponents in No. 3 Madison-Grant, No. 7 Rochester and No. 8 Southwood. The Raiders have not lost a set during its six tournament matches.

The Pioneers return to the state finals for the first time in 10 years and this time as a 2A squad. Providence had advanced to the state finals three times previously as a 3A team in the previous format but this will be their first time in a championship match. They topped No. 4 Eastern Greene, last year’s state runner-up, in Saturday’s semi-state championship match.

The 3A championship is a rematch of last year’s final with Yorktown (35-3) once again facing No. 3 Indianapolis Bishop Chatard (31-7). The Tigers swept last year’s match in three sets and also took an Aug. 25 meeting between the two teams, 2-0. Four of Yorktown’s six tourney wins have come against top 10 opponents including No. 10 Delta and No. 5 Muncie Central in the loaded sectional bracket. The Tigers have met four of the other state finalists this season and two of their three losses came at the hands of Wapahani.

Chatard earned its way back to the championship match defeating two top eight teams in the post-season in No. 8 Brebeuf Jesuit during sectional action and No. 4 Brownstown Central in the semi-state. The Trojans are also responsible for 4A finalist Carmel’s lone blemish this season taking a 3-2 decision on Sept. 27.

No. 2 Carmel enters the 4A state championship match with No. 4 Avon (34-5) as hot as any team and in pursuit of its first volleyball crown. Since that five-set encounter with Chatard, the Greyhounds have swept 16 straight foes including No. 5 Westfield for the sectional championship and sixth-ranked defending state champion Penn for the semi-state last Saturday. This will be the second meeting of the school year between the two teams with the Greyhounds taking a 3-0 victory on Aug. 21.

Avon captured its 12th straight sectional this season after defeating No. 7 Perry Meridian in the final. The Orioles were pushed to the limit in the regional round by an unranked Martinsville squad but then swept No. 3 Columbus East and earned its second straight state championship match appearance with a 3-1 win over No. 10 Indianapolis Cathedral. Avon’s only blemish on a 38-1 season last year came to Penn in the final match.

Saturday’s opener in Class A between No. 3 Loogootee (34-4) and No. 5 Cowan (26-10), a third Delaware Country entrant, will see one of these two schools capture its first volleyball state championship. Both have been on this stage before, albeit with graduated players, but were turned away. Loogootee is a three-time runner-up while Cowan has settled twice. This will be the third meeting between the schools in the state finals but their first in the championship. The Blackhawks won a 2000 state semifinal meeting while Loogootee took a 2006 semifinal matchup.

On its way here, Loogootee, a winner of 18 straight, knocked off top-ranked rival Barr-Reeve for the sectional championship and denied fourth-ranked state runner-up Trinity Lutheran in the semi-state. Cowan topped defending state champion and No. 7 Wes-Del in five sets in its sectional final and swept No. 10 Frontier on Saturday for its berth in the title game.

Our Meet the Teams file contains rosters, statistics and season results for all eight state finalist teams.

The 41st Annual IHSAA Volleyball State Finals
Date: Saturday, November 3, 2012.
Site: Worthen Arena, Ball State University, 1699 W. Bethel Avenue, Muncie.
Admission: $10. | Tickets will be available at participating schools the week of the state finals. Contact those schools for distribution hours. Please note, tickets will not be available for purchase at Worthen Arena until the day of the event (Saturday, Nov. 3).
Home Team: The winner of the northern semi-state (Cowan, Wapahani, Yorktown and Carmel) will be the designated home team in each match.
Television: All four matches will be televised live on the IHSAA Champions Network.
Webstream: All four matches will be streamed live at IHSAAtv.org.
Muncie Lodging | Dining

Meet the Teams | Order Photos

Class 4A Bracket | Class 3A Bracket | Class 2A Bracket | Class A Bracket

Class A | Loogootee (34-4) vs. Cowan (26-10) | 11 am ET
Class 2A | Providence (35-4) vs. Wapahani (32-4) | 1 pm ET
Class 3A | Indianapolis Bishop Chatard (31-7) vs. Yorktown (35-3) | 3 pm ET
Class 4A | Avon (34-5) vs. Carmel (37-1) | 5 pm ET

Media Information

Media Parking: There is no designated parking area for media at the venue. Please be aware that Ball State University does charge a $5 all-day parking fee in the Worthen Arena lots.

State Finals Media Credentials: Deadline is Thursday, Nov. 1, 4 pm ET. The 2012-13 IHSAA State Finals Media Credential issued previously this fall is good for admission. For those outlets without credentials and planning to cover the volleyball state finals, please apply by e-mailing your request (with name of individual applying) to IHSAA Sports Information Director Jason Wille (jwille@ihsaa.org). E-mail requests MUST originate from a recognized business account; e-mails from personal accounts (ie: yahoo.com, aol.com, etc.) will not be accepted. Approved requests will be available for pickup on Saturday at the ticket windows at Lower Level, Gate 1 of Worthen Arena.

Media Services: Members of the IHSAA staff will be on hand to assist in your coverage. Official programs will be available along with computer-generated box scores. Interviews may be conducted with coaches and players following their matches though we request your cooperation in holding your interviews until after the award ceremonies have concluded. The facility also is equipped for free wireless internet access.

Worthen Arena Media Work Room: Worthen Arena’s Media Work Room is located at Room 203 on the Main Level. Electrical power and phone lines will be available for use.

Media Seating: Except where seating is marked for specific media outlets with reserved phone lines, an open seating policy will be used along press row on Saturday.

Notables

Defending State Champions in the Field (2): Wapahani (2A), Yorktown (3A).

2011 State Runners-Up in the Field (2): Avon (4A), Indianapolis Bishop Chatard (3A).

Returning State Finalists (4): Avon (4A), Indianapolis Bishop Chatard (3A), Wapahani (2A), Yorktown (3A).

Former State Champions in the Field (3): Indianapolis Bishop Chatard (3A), Wapahani (2A), Yorktown (3A).

Looking for First State Championship: Avon (4A), Carmel (4A), Cowan (A), Loogootee (A).

First Time Participants: None.

Consecutive State Finals Appearances
2: Avon (4A), Indianapolis Bishop Chatard (3A), Wapahani (2A), Yorktown (3A).

Consecutive Victories
18: Loogootee.
16: Carmel.
13: Indianapolis Bishop Chatard.
10: Yorktown.
8: Avon.
7: Cowan.
6: Providence, Wapahani.

Consecutive State Tournament Victories
12: Wapahani, Yorktown.
6: Avon, Carmel.
5: Cowan, Indianapolis Bishop Chatard, Loogootee, Providence.

 

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Elkhart Volleyball Official to be Honored Saturday
Mark Yeoman of Elkhart is the recipient of the 2012 Interscholastic Athletic Officials Association Award for excellence in the sport of volleyball.  Yeoman will be honored in a special ceremony at Saturday’s state finals. 

Each year, the Indiana High School Athletic Association, in cooperation with the National Federation of Interscholastic Officials Association, recognizes and honors an outstanding official in each of 11 sports during the school year.

During his career, Yeoman has officiated 12 sectionals, eight regionals, three semi-states, and two state finals.

Yeoman was selected for this honor by a committee representing the officials associations.  In Indiana there are 24 associations made up of men and women who assist in providing wholesome, worthwhile, and healthy activities for the student athletes in our state.  Statewide, there are more than 8,000 officials licensed by the IHSAA in 11 sports.
 
A licensed referee for 18 years, Yeoman is a member of the Northern Officials Association, for whom he has served as an assistant clinician and rules interpreter.

Mark is a 1976 graduate of Elkhart Memorial High School.  He earned degrees in Economics and Business Administration, with a minor in English at Hillsdale College (MI).  He has served as a volunteer official at the Mishawaka Family Children’s Center, and is currently in the process of forming a volleyball program at the Ray and Joan Kroc Center in South Bend.

 

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Football Sectional Championships Tomorrow
All 40 sectional championship games in the 40th Annual IHSAA Football State Tournament presented by the Indianapolis Colts are scheduled for Friday night.

The winners at each site will advance to a regional championship game the following weekend.  Scores from each game will be posted to the IHSAA website on Friday night along with regional matchups.

The 5A game featuring Columbus North at Center Grove will be televised live by Fox Sports Indiana. The cable network will also air a regional and semi-state championship game to be determined in ensuing weeks. News Release

Sectional Championships
Friday, Nov. 2, 2012.
Times: 7 pm local time or as determined by host school.
Admission: $6 per person.

Class 5A Brackets | Class 4A Brackets | Class 3A Brackets | Class 2A Brackets | Class A Brackets

Notables

All-Time Consecutive Tournament Victories
26: Warren Central, 2003-07.
23: Roncalli, 2002-05; Sheridan, 2005-08.
22: Indianapolis Bishop Chatard, 2001-04; Penn, 1995-98.
20: Fort Wayne Bishop Luers, 2009-current; Lafayette Central Catholic, 2009-current.

Active Consecutive Tournament Win Streaks
20: Fort Wayne Bishop Luers, Lafayette Central Catholic.
14: Indianapolis Bishop Chatard, Indianapolis Cathedral.

Active Sectional Championship Streaks (three or more years)
11: Indianapolis Bishop Chatard.
6: Indianapolis Cathedral.
5: Fort Wayne Snider.
3: Evansville Mater Dei, Fort Wayne Bishop Luers, Hammond Morton, Lafayette Central Catholic.

Would-Be First Time Sectional Champions
5A: South Bend Adams.
3A: Gibson Southern.
2A: Benton Central, Indianapolis Broad Ripple.

Schools Attempting to Break 10+ Year Sectional Drought
25: Highland (1987).
23: Greensburg (1989).
22: Fort Wayne North Side (1990).
21: Greencastle, Tri-Central (1991).
19: North Central (Indianapolis), North Daviess (1993).
18: North Miami, West Washington (1994).
16: Charlestown (1996).
14: Franklin County (1998).
13: McCutcheon, Mishawaka Marian (1999).
12: Attica, Winamac (2000).
11 years: Carroll (Fort Wayne), Western Boone (2001).

Most Consecutive Sectional Championships
19 by Hobart, 1979-97.

Top 10 All-Time Sectional Championships
24: Carmel.
22: Indianapolis Bishop Chatard.
20: Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger, Fort Wayne Bishop Luers, Fort Wayne Snider, Jimtown.
19: Ben Davis, Hobart, Penn.
18: Sheridan.

Sectional Championship Games (Coaches Association poll)

Class 5A
Crown Point at Merrillville.
South Bend Adams at Carroll (Fort Wayne).
(2) Fort Wayne Snider at Fort Wayne North Side.
McCutcheon at Fishers.
(1) Lawrence Central at North Central (Indianapolis).
Pike at Avon.
Columbus North at (5) Center Grove.
Jeffersonville at (9) Castle.

Class 4A
Highland at Hammond Morton.
Mishawaka at South Bend Washington.
Wawasee at Concord.
Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger at Norwell.
Delta at (5) Mt. Vernon (Fortville).
(4) Roncalli at (3) Indianapolis Cathedral.
Franklin County at (1) Columbus East.
Evansville Reitz at (2) Jasper.

Class 3A
Mishawaka Marian at (9) South Bend St. Joseph.
(1) Jimtown at (8) Heritage.
Eastbrook at Western.
(5) Western Boone at (4) Hamilton Heights.
(6) Greencastle at (2) Indianapolis Bishop Chatard.
Indian Creek at Greensburg.
(3) Charlestown at Brownstown Central.
Gibson Southern at Evansville Memorial.

Class 2A
Rensselaer Central at (4) Andrean.
(8) Cass at North Judson.
(9) Churubusco at (5) Fort Wayne Bishop Luers.
(7) Tipton at Benton Central.
(6) Heritage Christian at Shenandoah.
(1) Indianapolis Cardinal Ritter at Indianapolis Broad Ripple.
(10) Lawrenceburg at Paoli.
South Spencer at (2) Evansville Mater Dei.

Class A
Winamac at (8) West Central.
(4) Pioneer at (2) Lafayette Central Catholic.
Adams Central at North Miami.
(10) Tri-Central at (9) Sheridan.
Eastern Hancock at (6) Indianapolis Scecina.
(5) North Vermillion at Attica.
West Washington at Milan.
North Daviess at (1) Linton-Stockton.

 

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State Statistical Leaders
The following lists of statistical leaders are compiled by VarVee.com, the IHSAA’s official statistics gathering partner. The IHSAA encourages each of its member schools to participate by registering at www.varvee.com and updating statistics by each Monday through the end of the season. Weekly reports will be issued each Tuesday throughout the season.

Football: State Statistical Leaders | Weekly Report 
Volleyball: State Statistical Leaders | Weekly Report
Boys Soccer: State Statistical Leaders | Weekly Report
Girls Soccer: State Statistical Leaders | Weekly Report

 

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About the Indiana High School Athletic Association, Inc. (IHSAA)
Founded in 1903, the purpose of the Indiana High School Athletic Association, Inc. (IHSAA) is to encourage, regulate and give direction to wholesome amateur interschool athletic competition between its 410 member schools. The Association provides state championship tournament series in 20 sports, 10 for girls and 10 for boys. Approximately 160,000 student athletes participate in IHSAA sports on an annual basis.