11/6/2009
Blazers Ready For Run At Sixth Straight Championship
Reprinted with permission from The News Dispatch

Adam Parkhouse
The News-Dispatch

A simple glance at the records of the team's involved in Saturday's second Class A semifinal match might indicate Marquette's run of five consecutive state championships is in jeopardy.

Class A No. 1 Barr-Reeve is ranked where it is based on a perfect 36-0 record. The Vikings have lost just three games all season.

Class A No. 2 Marquette is 32-6. But the records only tell a small part of the story.

Marquette played one of the toughest schedules in the state regardless of sport. They twice lost to Class 4A No. 1 Elkhart Memorial, and took the Chargers to five games in one of those matches. They lost to Penn, Class 2A No. 1 Muncie Burris (ranked in the top 10 nationally) and two other solid Class 3A programs.

Barr-Reeve, on the other hand, has played mostly unranked Class A programs.

But, as Marquette coach Troy Campbell points out, he expects the No. 1 team to present a challenge nonetheless.

"They have solid attackers," Campbell said, noting 6-1 senior Hillary Fox has more than 500 kills this season. "The big matchup will be our service game against their serve receive."

Typically, that's always a big matchup in Marquette matches. The Blazers have four players with more than 100 aces this season, and other teams often struggle to pass consistently.

"If they're able to get the ball to people in the right situations, then we'll be in a back-and-forth match," Campbell said."

Barr-Reeve, coached by Amber DeCoursey, is making its fourth state finals appearance, while the Blazers are making their 11th straight.

Marquette's semifinal with Barr-Reeve will follow the 8 a.m. CST semifinal between Indianapolis Lutheran (20-16) and Wes-Del (27-7). The championship match is set for 1:30 p.m. CST. All matches are played at Ball State University's Worthen Arena.

Lutheran's record is a bit deceiving, as they play a solid Indianapolis schedule. This will be the Saints' second appearance at state. They're coached by Kathleen Anderson

"Lutheran is about the same as Barr-Reeve," Campbell said. "If they get the ball to their middles, they're pretty good."

Wes-Del, coached by Biff Wilson, is making its second state appearance, but first since 1976.

"Wes-Del is a lot like us," Campbell said. "They're a strong serving team, short, defensive minded and they've got a couple kids that can put the ball down."

But as with every other step in the state tournament, Campbell wants his girls to focus on taking care of themselves.

"There's a lot of pressure on us to do that very thing this year more than any other year," Campbell said. "We don't need you to mess up. We can get our own points and if we're able to do that then we play at a very high level."

Contact Sports Editor Adam Parkhouse at aparkhouse@thenewsdispatch.com or 874-7211, Ext. 461.