LAFAYETTE — Seven girls volleyball teams walked away with sectional championships from the Lafayette area Saturday, Oct. 17.
The list of teams is as followed: Harrison (7), West Lafayette (23), Benton Central (37), Southmont (41), South Newton (50), Covington (53) and Rossville (54). For some, it was continuing a reign of their sectional from years past, while others captured their first in several years.
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The regional round, which begins Saturday, Oct. 24, will be jam-packed with teams looking to advance in the tournament and make a push at state. For now, here's a look at each sectional winner from the area and how they won championships Saturday night.
Harrison wins fourth straight sectional championship
The No. 10 Raiders continued their reign over Class 4A, Sectional 7 for the fourth year in a row, defeating McCutcheon 3-1 (25-12, 22-25, 25-22, 26-24) in the championship game after sweeping Kokomo. Each of the final three sets were close between the two rivals, but Harrison rallied to win the final two.
It was a group effort from the Raiders. Gia Stokes was the kill leader with 19, followed up by 11 kills from Stella Snider. Eva Stokes tallied two solo blocks and two assist blocks to pair with 17 kills, Mattea Capozzi had 17 digs and Story Nixon came away with 45 assists.
The 4A bracket is stacked for regionals, as Harrison (28-3) drew one of the toughest matchups possible. It will have to get through No. 2 Westfield (26-2) to win the regional championship, but it's the type of opponent the Raiders are seeking to dethrone for state.
Covington victorious for first time since 2019
With a 3-0 (25-12, 25-9, 25-15) sweep over Fountain Central, No. 1 (1A) Covington became sectional champions for the first time since the 2019 season.
Meredith Wright finished the game with 20 kills and 12 digs to lead the way for the Trojans, while Regan Stonecipher added six kills and three aces. Both Gabby Lewis and Annelise Redman set the ball well for their attackers, tallying 22 and 16 assists respectively.
The Trojans also beat Central Catholic 3-2 and Attica 3-0 in their path to the Class 1A, Sectional 53 championship. Now with a 31-3 record, they're looking formidable heading into a regional championship game against Rossville.
West Lafayette has a clean sweep
For the third year in a row, the Red Devils are sectional champions. They took home the Class 2A, Sectional 23 title with a 3-0 (25-15, 25-22, 25-15) win over Mississinewa.
Sisters Meredith and Sophie Andrew were dominant on the front, each recording 11 kills. Emma Garringer recorded 40 assists and 13 digs at setter, while Sophie Lee added 16 digs and two aces.
West Lafayette (20-12) also swept both Marion and Twin Lakes in its path to the championship win, meaning the Red Devils didn't drop a single set during the sectional round. They'll try to make that a trend in the regional championship against Leo.
South Newton secures three-peat
The Rebels swept Pioneer in the Class 1A, Sectional 50 championship game to earn their third consecutive title. They also got past West Central 3-1 and Caston 3-0 in previous matchups within the bracket.
Cora Groover and Jada Cripe finished the night with 15 and 13 kills respectively. Cripe also added four aces and nine digs, while Groover notched eight digs and a block. Lindsay Lowe tallied 35 assists, four kills and five aces.
Up next for South Newton will be Marquette Catholic in a regional championship battle.
Benton Central goes back-to-back
The No. 2 Bison (23-6) got though the new addition to 2A, Faith Christian, 3-1 in the semifinal and swept Clinton Prairie in the championship game to secure a Sectional 37 victory.
It marks two straight championship wins for No. 2 Benton Central, who is on a roll heading into a regional championship bout against No. 5 Muncie Burris.
Southmont wins first title since 2022
The Mounties (19-10) captured their first sectional championship since 2022 with a sweep against South Vermillion in the Sectional 41 title game.
Along with wins over Parke Heritage and North Putnam in the bracket, Southmont has won its last 10 games and will look to carry that momentum into the regional round against Heritage Christian.
Rossville completes trifecta
A 3-1 win over Frontier in the Sectional 54 title game secures a three-peat for Rossville (24-8). The Hornets also picked up victories over Traders Point Christian and Bethesda Christian en route to the championship win.
Rossville will have to take down fellow Lafayette area team, Covington, in the regional round to advance further.
Regional schedule for Lafayette teams
All matches set for Saturday, Oct. 24.
- 4A: Harrison vs. Westfield at 7 p.m. ET at Twin Lakes
- 3A: Leo vs. West Lafayette at 4 p.m. ET at Southwood
- 2A: Muncie Burris vs Benton Central at 1 p.m. ET at Elwood
- 2A: Heritage Christian vs Southmont at 4 p.m. ET at Monrovia
- 1A: South Newton vs. Marquette Catholic at 1 p.m. ET at Culver Community
- 1A: Covington vs. Rossville at 4 p.m. ET at Twin Lakes
Chase Gemes covers high school sports and Purdue women's basketball for the Journal & Courier. He can be reached at cgemes@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: 7 Lafayette area girls volleyball teams win sectional championships