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Southwood and Fairfield are back and playing each other in the Class 2A volleyball state finals but at different stages of the experience hierarchy.
The two teams lost in last year’s semifinals, but the Knights lost only one starter. The Falcons are at state for a fourth consecutive year despite bringing only one starter back.
“They have more experience than we do,” Fairfield coach Carla Hershberger said.
“They were there last year, practically all of them. They are bringing their whole team back, while we are bringing one person back.”
Fifth-ranked Southwood (32-5) will play No. 6 Fairfield (31-4) in the first semifinal game at Delta at 9 a.m. Saturday, followed by No. 1 Muncie Burris (38-0) against No. 2 Brownstown Central (29-4).
The Knights returned Meghan Binkerd, Hannah Kirk, Celeste McCormick, Mallory Harnish and Abby Kirk from last year’s team, which fell to Brownstown Central, 25-18, 19-25, 25-22, 26-24.
“I hope that is a good thing for us,” Southwood coach Tom Finicle said of the experience.
“We play in a lot of bigger venues and some places that are big for us, but when you walk in there and there are a lot of folks there; … last year, I thought we were rattled a little bit. Got to hope the fact we were there last year, we are not going to get rattled by it this year, and we are just going to go in there and play.”
Fairfield, which only returned Katie Gall, isn’t shocked it is back in the state finals.
“Outsiders looking in might think that it is unexpected but the girls from Day 1, that was their focus,” Hershberger said. “They knew people thought they couldn’t do it, but they knew they could do it.
“I knew we had the physical talent, but I wasn’t sure if the mental talent would be there.
“Just for these girls to get back there at this stage really means a lot.
“At the beginning of the year, they made up T-shirts that said ‘no excuses,’ and just because we lost five seniors doesn’t mean we are not going to go back.”
The best news for the Falcons is they don’t have to immediately face 13-time defending state champion Muncie Burris, which beat Fairfield 25-11, 21-25, 25-20, 25-6 in last year’s semifinals.
“With Burris, we don’t lie to the girls, and we tell them you would have to play your best, and they would have to play not normally like they do,” Hershberger said.
“This is the best draw we could have gotten, even though it is a tough draw.
“We are not beaten before we even go in this year.”
