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Top-ranked Barr-Reeve goes the distance to win 4th volleyball crown
INDIANAPOLIS - When four sets of hotly-contested volleyball spread across 2 hours and 6 minutes decides nothing, the rules become pretty straightforward:
The first to 15 wins.
In the Class 2A championship match on Saturday, this sprint to the finish was won by Barr-Reeve’s Vikings, who picked up the program’s fourth state title with an 18-25, 25-18, 25-23, 17-25, 15-10 victory over Benton Central inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Barr-Reeve finished the season with a 33-5 record under head coach Tyler Schultheis. Previous Vikings’ state champions were in 2013 and 2018 under the Class 1A umbrella, and in 2020 as a 2A program.
“Felt like a full day of work out there today,” said Schultheis, referring to the match against the Bison taking just under two-and-a-half-hours to complete. “It means the world to our program as a whole to get No. 4 for this group of 13 girls that battled the whole season.
“The seniors had this goal from the start of the summer. There might have been some nerves . . . it’s a big building with a taller roof than what we’re used to, but I’m glad that we might’ve settled down. And hats off to Benton Central for playing an awesome match, as well.”
IHSAA Class 2A State Championship
Barr-Reeve def. Benton Central 3-2 (18-25, 25-18, 25-23, 17-25, 15-10)
A match with no shortage of drama or shifts in momentum ultimately came down to a fifth set, which saw Barr-Reeve break free from a 5-5 deadlock to piece together a 6-1 scoring run.
Benton Central rallied to pull to within 13-10, but the Vikings put it away with a Mariana Van Der Aa kill and a block of a Bison kill attempt. Once the ball touched the floor on the latter, reserve Vikings’ players spilled onto the court to join the starters to form a celebratory pile.
Addison Jones, Barr-Reeve’s 6-foot senior outside hitter, led her team with 17 kills, while 5-10 freshman Joslyn Knepp added 14 and Van Der Aa finished with 10. Senior Lanie Graber, who remembers looking up to the 2020 Vikings’ players as a seventh-grader, led her team in digs with 22.
Now she was rocking a champion’s medal of her own.
“It was crazy. It was tiring, it was a lot of fun, and I’m glad that we could pull it off in the fifth set,” Graber said. “After the first set, I think we just stayed on the attack, and our setter (Hallie Knepp) started mixing, and we got all of our hitters involved. I think that was really beneficial.”
For Benton Central (27-6), senior hitter Calista Foster, who is committed to play at Western Kentucky University, led all players with 26 kills to go along with 24 digs. Also for the Bison, juniors McKenna Yadon and Rhyan Deno went for 14 and 10 kills, respectively, with senior Isabella Widmer chipping in 23 digs.
Ava Holder and Kendall Gephart each made six blocks to lead Benton Central. Deno added five, and Madison Minniear added 10 digs.
To better illustrate how close the match was, Benton Central led by as many as seven points in the opening set (18-11 and 25-18), while Barr-Reeve returned the favor in the second set by winning by seven. The widest margins by either team in the third, fourth and fifth sets were five, eight and five points.
Benton Central, a squad that held a 13-5 record following a 2-1 loss to Lake Central on September 27, closed the regular reason with eight consecutive victories. The Bison carried the momentum into the North Montgomery Sectional where they won all three matches in straight sets, did the same to Sheridan at regional and made it out of the Peru Semistate.
Though the season didn’t end the way he wanted, Benton Central coach Scott Mattson realizes these past few months have been special.
“At some level, it becomes a little surreal. You go on a 14-match winning streak to get here . . . that takes a lot,” said Mattson, who thought his team’s final match of the season had all the makings of a five-setter due to contrasting strengths – Benton Central’s ability to attack against Barr-Reeve’s excellence in blocking.
“We knew we were a good program. We knew we were a good team. But, you know, how good? Can you overcome adversity in that moment, and, for the season, we did a nice job of overcoming adversity. It’s been a fun season. I think it’s been a competitive season. We’ll just come back and rebuild as best we can and do it again.”
Class 2A State Championship Records
Total Team Blocks: 14 by Barr-Reeve
Blocks Solo: 2 by Addison Jones, Barr-Reeve
Block Assists: 6 by Ava Holder, Benton Central; Kendall Gephart, Benton Central; Mya Raber, Barr-Reeve
Total Individual Blocks: 6 by Ava Holder, Benton Central; Kendall Gephart, Benton Central; Rhyan Deno, Benton Central; Mya Raber, Barr-Reeve
Addison Jones of Barr-Reeve named Mental Attitude Award recipient
Following the match, Addison Jones of Barr-Reeve High School was announced as the recipient of the Mental Attitude Award by the IHSAA Executive Committee.
Addison ranks third in her class of 64 students and has earned High Honors in each semester thus far in high school. She is a member of Barr-Reeve’s Student Council and serves as class treasurer.
Addison is a Volleyball and Softball athlete earning All-Conference honors in both sports, while also receiving All-District and All-State honors for volleyball. She is a four-year starter for the Vikings and recorded her 1,000th kill and 1,000th dig this season!
She is the daughter of John and Dana Jones of Montgomery, IN and plans to pursue studies in Engineering at Purdue University.
The Mental Attitude Award is annually presented to a senior nominated by her principal and coach, and has demonstrated excellence in mental attitude, scholarship, leadership, and athletic ability during her four years of high school.
Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance, a proud corporate partner of the IHSAA, presented a $1,000 scholarship to Barr-Reeve High School’s general scholarship fund in the name of Addison Jones.
IHSAA’s Champion of Education Award, presented by Ivy Tech Community College
This award recognizes teachers and faculty who go above and beyond to challenge students to reach their full potential. As an organization that emphasizes keeping education at the forefront of high school athletics, the IHSAA is proud to shine a light on two honorees in this year’s class. On behalf of Ivy Tech Community College, presenting sponsors of the IHSAA Champion of Education Award, the IHSAA will award $250 to the classroom of each recipient.
Melissa Knox is an English teacher at Benton Central Jr-Sr High School. Melissa’s impact has been wide ranging, and she does her best to make a connection with every student that walks through her door. Her caring heart and optimistic spirit transforms the classroom from a place of instruction into a genuine community and her ability to make each student feel seen and valued is a true gift!
Jessica McConnell teaches Literature, Composition, and Communications at Barr-Reeve High School! Jessica’s door is always open, and she consistently shows flexibility and understanding toward each student's individual needs. Jessica takes an active interest in students' lives and her friendly demeanor and genuine care for everyone's well-being have left a lasting, positive impact on her students and Barr-Reeve as a whole!
