Page 21 - 2021-22 Volleyball State Finals Program

Last Year’s State Finals in Review

Barr-Reeve Sweeps to Third Volleyball Crown, First in Class 2A

Barr-Reeve dominated the Class 2A championship match,
breaking out to big leads in the first two sets, then rallying
in set three for a 3-0 (25-13, 25-13, 25-19) victory over
Wapahani in a battle of traditional powers.
The Vikings of coach Amber DeCoursey thus claimed their
second state championship in three years and third overall,
finishing at 35-3. Barr-Reeve also becomes this sixth
school in state history to claim titles in two different classes.
Wapahani, which fell in last year’s state final to Heritage
Christian, had already accomplished that feat.
The Vikings broke out to a 13-2 lead in set one, then had an
11-4 lead early in set two. In the final set, the Raiders (28-6)
held a 14-8 advantage before Barr-Reeve fought back to
tie the match behind the serving of Dylan DeCoursey. She
had five aces for the match. Jasye Thompson eventually
recorded a kill on match point to end it.
Anna Ballengee led the winners with 21 kills, sporting a
.308 hitting percentage.
Camryn Wise led Wapahani, coached by Kati Weir, with 11
kills. The Raiders were seeking their sixth state title and fifth
in the last 10 years.

Pioneer Tops Loogootee for first Volleyball Title

Pioneer gained a measure of revenge with a 3-1
(25-23, 27-29, 27-25, 25-22) triumph over Loogootee to
claim the Class A state championship. The title for coach
Rod Nies’ Panthers marks the first in program history after
finishing runner-up in their other state championship
appearance in 2018.
The win also avenged a loss to Loogootee in the 2020
girls Class A basketball finals last February. Four of the six
Pioneer starters were part of the basketball team.
After splitting the first two sets, the teams battled through
14 ties and five lead changes in set three. A Mackenzie
Walker kill on set-point No. 4 finally gave Pioneer (29-3)
the 2-1 lead.
In the final set, Pioneer broke from an 8-8 tie to take a 16-8
lead behind the serving of Carlie Morris. The Panthers
ended it on a Hailey Cripe kill. Cripe finished with a team-
high 22 kills and 27 digs.
For Loogootee, the match marked the fifth trip to the final
match without a victory. Makenzie VanHoy finished with a
match-high 24 kills for the Lions.
Coach Shelly Lengacher’s Lions finished 31-6.

IHSAA - Pure Spirit. Pure Sport. Pure INDIANA! 21