Center Grove will begin its quest for a state volleyball championship with a little bit of extra rest.
The Class 4A No. 7 Trojans (25-4) received a first-round bye at the Martinsville Sectional and will take on Franklin Central in the second semifinal match Oct. 12.
“I’m definitely glad we got a bye,” Center Grove coach Maggie Harbison said. “I’m happy with the way it’s set up. We’re just going to have to perform on the right days at the right time.”
State tournament pairings were announced Monday by the IHSAA.
The top half of the bracket features four Mid-State Conference teams. Franklin (22-4) opens against Martinsville on Oct. 10, with a showdown between Whiteland (3-23) and Greenwood (9-19) to follow.
Earlier this season, the Woodmen defeated the Warriors in four sets. The Grizzly Cubs are at Martinsville tonight in their regular-season league finale.
For her part, Franklin coach Roxanne Chapman said her team was fine with not getting a free pass to the semis.
“We were excited about not having a whole week of practice,” she said. “We like to play. … It’s a good thing to play and get familiar with the gyms.”
Roncalli has a first-round bye in the Class 4A Decatur Central Sectional. The Rebels will face Pike in the semifinal round.
Indian Creek has both home-court advantage and an opening-round bye in its Class 3A sectional. The Braves (23-7) will take on Tri-West in an Oct. 12 semifinal match.
In Class A, both Greenwood Christian and Edinburgh drew first-round byes.
The Cougars (21-6) will play in the semifinal round of the Morristown Sectional against the winner between Lighthouse Christian and Central Christian.
Playing at home, the Lancers (8-18) will face off against defending sectional champ Trinity Lutheran in the second semifinal match next Thursday evening.
“I don’t really care one way or the other that we got the bye,” Greenwood Christian coach Kayla Back said. “We practice pretty intensely like a game, so I don’t think having an extra game in sectionals is going to do anything to help or hurt us.
“I’m not mad about it.”
