Ahead of the Marion County Volleyball Tournament, which kicks off tonight, Jared Rigdon highlights players and teams to watch while giving his predictions for the tournament.  

Five Players to Watch:

Lauren Matthews, Lawrence North: While Lawrence North has had their struggles this season, especially with ball control, Matthews has been a bright spot at the middle position. The Western Kentucky commit is one of the team leaders in kills and has been a newsome to undersized opponents. Her power and athletic prowess should be key especially in an undersized draw for the Wildcats (Lutheran, NC/PT). If LN hopes to make it three straight county titles, Matthews will need to be big. It should be interesting to watch as Matthews sat out the match against Zionsville last night.

Caitie Baird OH, Perry Meridian: One of the lone top performers on a struggling team, the Stanford commit should play a huge role on the outside in the tournament. One of the top at her position in the 2019 class, Baird is a leader in kills for the Falcons and faces a Franklin Central squad that will have trouble returning the ball. This should be a match where Baird should showcase her talents and carry Perry Meridian to a second round matchup.

Jazmine Davis, North Central: The Evansville commit, sparks a North Central team that has flown under the radar. While a little undersized for the outside position, Davis is an athletic presence that can fly on all sides of the court. In a match against a smaller and shorter benched Park Tudor team, Davis should come up huge and lead NC to a win.

Jai-lyn Norwood, Lawrence Central: Norwood has multiple matches to varrying reasons including a 3-0 loss to Lawrence North. Norwood should be both well rested but out of the flow. Despite her lack of quality playing time, Norwood still provides an athletic presence that many teams can’t match. The IUPUI commit is about as athletic as any in the County and sparks the LC offense. If the Bears have any chance of taking down Roncalli in the first round, Norwood needs to show up and show up big.

Liz Beasley, Lawrence North: The senior outside hitter, and team leader in kills for much of the season, Beasley may be LN’s top overall player if Matthews misses time in the tournament. Beasley’s experience along with knowledge for the game make her as valuable as any in the county. With the potential of Matthews being out, the responsibility falls to the Beasley twins. LN goes for a third straight title with the possibility of meeting NC and Roncalli en route to the title. Liz Beasley will need to play big for the Wildcats.  

Predictions:

Roncalli over Brebeuf: It’s hard to pick against the two time defending champion Lawrence North Wildcats, but Nick Cox’s team has been reeling for a majority of the season and the loss of Matthews doesn’t make it much easier. Brebeuf may see the easiest route to the title with Pike and potentially Ben Davis in the second route. Brebeuf has wins over Brownsburg and Westfield in the last week and is playing as well as they have all season. On the other side, Roncalli, NC and LN will duke it out to meet Brebeuf in the final. Roncalli should cruise through LC and Perry Meridian before meeting one of the two MIC powers in the semis. LN and Roncalli met in the first match of the year for a five set thriller. Roncalli has rolled since then while LN has taken a dive for the worst. Roncalli should advance to the final where a well rested Brebeuf team awaits. The tough schedule the Rebels have faced should have Roncalli well prepared to face adversity. I’ll take the Rebels in a five set thriller at Southport Fieldhouse on Saturday.

Best First Round Matchup:

This year’s draw sees the top teams in the county (LN, Brebeuf and Roncalli) separated until at least the semifinals. That leaves North Central vs. Park Tudor as an interesting first round matchup between two above .500 teams with a chance to make serious noise. North Central is led by Evansville commit Jazmine Davis and fellow senior Carly Waite who have helped the Panthers to a top three spot in the MIC. NC has taken sets off of Lake Central, Westfield, Carmel and Brownsburg, proving they can hang with some of the superior teams in the state. Along the way, they defeated an overachieving Park Tudor team (11-6) 2-0 in an invitational. North Central may have too much power at the outside positions, but Park Tudor should put up a fight. Prediction: North Central 3-1

Sleeper Team:

Perry Meridian: The Falcons have the talent, (see Caitie Baird), but the results don’t speak for the ability. While Perry Meridian finds himself on the toughest side of the bracket, they have the ability to make a surprise if they catch Franklin Central off guard. Don’t be shocked if the Falcons end up playing down the road in the semis on Saturday morning.

Best Potential Matchups:

LN vs. Roncalli semifinals: This was rather exciting the first time around. A rematch should match the hype. LN’s firepower provides an interesting counter to Roncalli’s controlled, steady pace of play. The two teams are rather matched and have both played a gauntlet of a schedule. If LN could get Matthews back, LN should have the edge up. However in a 10 a.m match in a neutral gym, the ball could roll either way.

Team to Watch:

Brebeuf: The word on Brebeuf isn’t out there yet. They don’t have the big time division one commits, they don’t have the 4A level schedule and they don’t have the history. However, they do have the benefit of the easy route and consistent play that should lead them to a big championship match for the county title.

Teams with the most to gain:

Lawrence North: The Wildcats have just been bad so far this season. There’s no hiding it. The expectations were big to start the year and LN just hasn’t lived up to then. However, the LN talent is far superior to any other team in the county and it’s about time LN starts piling the wins together. With Cathedral looming in the sectional, the Wildcats need to start stringing wins together and opening with Lutheran provides a good chance to start.

Best team to go out early:

North Central: The Panthers are a top four team in the County. However, they find themselves meeting LN and Roncalli in two of their first three matches along with a tough Park Tudor team. Don’t be surprised if the Panthers can’t work themselves to Saturday.