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Vikes fall to Providence in regional finals

todd lancaster, washington times-herald, ind.
·5 min read

Oct. 22—CHARLESTOWN — The 2023 Barr-Reeve volleyball team found its self in the 3A regional final for the first time ever, unfortunately the team on the other side of the the bracket was No. 1 Providence and No. 2 overall team in the state. Although the Vikes played well in the first two games, Providence showed why they are currently one of the elite programs in the state in the third set with its 19th regional title.

The Vikings finished the season at 25-9 under new coach Tyler Schultheis and will return a young, but seasoned team for the next few seasons.

"They're a powerhouse in the state of Indiana for a reason year in and year out. I thought our girls put up a good fight, but some nights you got it some nights you don't and you can't have a let down even for a second against a team like that," said Schultheis. "I though we looked good in the first two sets, but the third was a different story.

"We've got an outstanding group of seniors this year. They've put their heart and soul into this program for four years. We got a great group coming back and I think the future's bright. In the younger grades will have some great groups too, unfortunately, we just couldn't get it done tonight."

There is also a chance that they move back down into Class A or 2A after the next IHSAA reset.

The Vikes opened the first game with a 3-0 lead and extended it to 6-2, forcing Providence into a rare early time out. The Pioneers got it back to 7-5, but Lanie Graber added a kill from the left side and B-R went up 9-5. Providence chipped it back to 8-9 before tying it.

B-R's Lucy Wirtz added a kill to make it 10-all, but with PHS's Lilly Tapple serving, pushed it to 13-11.

Addi Jones added a kill that got it back to 15-17 and B-R moved to within one at 17-18 and tied it at 19-all. However, Providence scored five of the last six points to take the first set, 25-20.

In the second set, No. 1 PHS took a 2-1 lead and pushed it to 5-1 before B-R got the ball back. A kill from Jones got B-R back to 4-5, but the next three points belonged to Providence to make it 8-4.

An ace from Jones made it 6-10 and they traded points to get to 7-11, but at 7-15, B-R called a time out.

Bledsoe and Wirtz combined for. A block-kill, and Carter Burris cut it to 9-17. With Josie Knepp serving, B-R cut it to 17-19. Providence went up 23-20 before coming away with the 25-20 win to go up 2-0.

Wirtz opened the third set with a kill and Bledsoe made it 3-2. Both team's showed some of its best defense early in the set, but Providence was still able to go up 7-3. A mishandled free ball got B-R back to 6-8, but the Pioneers moved it to 11-6 and began an offensive tear.

Providence then scored the next 10 straight points, before Burris stopped the scoring streak with a kill at 21-7, but PHS would win 25-11 to claim the regional title and move on to semi-state.

Barr-Reeve 3, Lawrenceburg 0

CHARLESTOWN — The Barr-Reeve Lady Vikings needed just three sets to take down No. 19 Lawrenceburg on Saturday in the morning session of the Charlestown Regional. Although the Vikes had to fight their way through the second set, they dominated the first and third to secure the victory.

In the first set, with Lanie Graber serving, B-R ran off a 4-0 lead that included a kill from Lucy Wirtz at the net. B-R led 5-2 before Lawrenceburg rallied back to 6-6. A kill from Hannah Bledsoe made it 7-6, but it would later be tied again at 9-all. Graber added a cross- court kill to make it 11-9, while Karter Burris made it 14-11 with a kill. The Vikes moved it out to 17-11, while Addi Jones added a kill for the 18th point. Bledsoe added the 21st point and an ace from Willow Thompson made it 22-14, before B-R took the win at 25-16.

In the second set, a kill from Jones tied it at one and Burris tied it at 2-all. However, the Tigers went up 5-2. Graber got the side out to make it 4-7, but the Tigers rolled to 9-4 and B-R took a time out. The Tigers moved out to 14-8, but a Burris kill got the Vikes the ball back. An ace from Josie Knepp then made it 13-14. Bledsoe and Alli Robinson combined for a block kill to make it 15-14. A dig from Kennedy Huff led to a Jones kill from the back row and an 18-15 lead, before LHS tied it at 19-all. With Hallie Knepp serving, B-R moved out to 24-19, before a kill from Burris made it 25-20 and gave them a 2-0 lead.

Burris and Jones opened the third set with three kills to make it 3-0 and 5-1, the Tigers rallied back to 5-5. The Vikes then ripped off the next six points to make it 11-5. Jones added an ace to make it 13-6, while Lanie Graber made it 19-9 and Jones moved them to match point and an ace from Huff secured the win and the match up with Providence later in the day.

No. 1 Providence downed Evansville Memorial, 3-0 in the first game.

Trinity 3, Loogootee 0

LOOGOOTEE — At the Class A Regional at Loogootee's Jack Butcher Arena, the Lions lost 3-0 in the first round to Seymour's Trinity Lutheran.

The Lions lost the first match 25-20, a close second match, 27-25 and 25-12.

In the other match, Tecumseh beat Lanesville, 25-9, 25-16 and 25-8, before Tecumseh won the title over Trinity, 3-1.