Triton Central chasing first volleyball regional championship in program history

FAIRLAND – The blank space under regional championships on the Triton Central volleyball program’s placard hanging in the gymnasium has not gone unnoticed.

None of the program’s five sectional titlists added a regional championship. On Saturday at Morristown High School, Triton Central (22-9) will battle Northeastern (23-8) at 4 p.m. for the right to add another week to its season.

“I love how we still get to keep going and we’re not done,” said Triton Central senior Gwyn Williams. “There is a new game on Saturday. And if we play like we did last Saturday, we could definitely keep going.”

Triton Central has won eight straight matches including a 25-19, 28-26, 18-25, 25-16 win over Heritage Christian in the championship match at the Eastern Hancock Sectional.

The IHSAA format sets regional championship matches Saturday at neutral sites followed for four-team semistates on Nov. 1. That is much different than the format used the last time Triton Central head coach Lyndsey (Weller) Skipton led Shelbyville to its only regional championship in 2011.

“There has been a lot of reflection on that (experience) and how I am choosing to handle things this time around,” said Skipton Tuesday afternoon before joining her time for a video session on its regional opponent. “It’s definitely a different makeup than what is was back then when we had that regional win in 2011. That (regional) game was on Tuesday immediately after Saturday and then we went to semistate that following Saturday.

“Things are a little more spread out. For me, personally, I feel a little more relaxed going into this because we have time to prepare … more than just one night to have a practice and get ready.”

Skipton led the Golden Bears to a sectional title in 2011 with Saturday wins over East Central (3-0) and Columbus East (3-2) then defeated Franklin, 3-1, three nights later. Shelbyville lost to Seymour (3-0) in the semistate tournament.

Two years later, Skipton led Shelbyville to another sectional championship in what turned out to be her final season as head coach of the program. She had a two-year run at Southport before taking another head coaching role nearly a decade later in Fairland.

“A couple of years ago, the middle school position (at Triton Central) opened up,” she said. “At that moment in time, that’s what my schedule could handle with the activity of the kids I had. So I did that for a couple of years.”

The foundation of her first eighth-grade team was Estelle Gearlds, Kate Collier, Addison Gibbs, Savanna Plew and Lucy May, who are now juniors in the high school program.

“They were great (as eighth graders),” said Skipton. “Even though I was in this community, I didn’t really know a whole lot of people. I got to really know the Triton Central community. So, when the varsity position opened up, they approached me to apply.”

What Skipton found at the varsity level was a group looking to make the jump to championship level. And with three seniors – Williams (center), Audrey Darlage (right) and Maryrose Felling (left) – the Tigers are thriving under Skipton’s tutelage.

“I think this is a talented, athletic group that is passionate about volleyball,” she said. “I am just here to help guide them through that journey and help them be as successful as they can be.”

May (photo, front row), who broke the program record for kills in a season in the sectional championship match, is thankful Skipton stepped up to the varsity role.

“It’s a lot different from our coach last year,” said May of Skipton’s presence in the program. “She is a lot more disciplined. Each practice is a lot harder. I can feel we are getting so much better because of it. It’s like a blessing to have her.”

Skipton relied on her experience with the Golden Bears to set up this week’s schedule. Rest and recovery were the priority Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday and Thursday is prep for a balanced Northeastern squad and Friday is finishing the final touches before a short road trip to Morristown Saturday afternoon.

“She has brought a lot of goals for us to achieve,” said Williams. “She is staying very disciplined and trying to get us better and teaching us new things we didn’t know previously to try and get us better while preparing for every game.”

There are two regional championship matches Saturday at Morristown. At 1 p.m., North Decatur (17-16) will face No. 1 ranked Trinity Lutheran (19-11) in a Class A championship match.

Once that is complete, Triton Central and Northeastern will battle for a first regional championship for each program.

To get through its sectional, Northeastern (photo) defeated Union County (3-0) for the second time this season, avenged an earlier loss to Winchester (3-0) in the semifinals then defeated Hagerstown, 22-25, 25-21, 25-22, 25-18, to claim the program’s third sectional title in the last four years.

“We will have to have a faster offense,” said Skipton of her scouting report. “Just like against Heritage Christian, we need aggressive serves to keep them out of system.

“I think it’s a promising (matchup). I think they will make us work but I think walking away with a win is achievable.”

The Knights will not go as deep into the roster as Triton Central, who played 11 in the sectional championship match. At least four players have more than 110 kills this season with sophomore Ava Spradling, freshman Alyia Diamond and junior Emma Bledsoe-Ryan leading the way.

“Everyone plays in the rotation except the libero,” said Skipton.

Senior Ady Kircher leads the Knights in digs, but Bledsoe-Ryan, Diamond and sophomore Kamdyn Sum are all effective passers.

Sum is the lead setter and along with Kircher has combined for more than 700 assists this season.

For Triton Central, setters Darlage and Felling must work quickly to set up Williams, May, Gibbs and Plew to be effective. That quartet combined for 46 kills in the sectional finale.

Triton Central senior Gwyn Williams (center) celebrates her MVP award at the Shelby County Tournament with the TC coaching staff (from left): Kevn Morey, TeAnn Bringle, Lyndsey Skipton, Cassady Skipton and Paul Caldwell.

Williams, who was named the Most Valuable Player at the Shelby County Tournament this season, is Triton Central’s career leader in service aces, breaking Julia Sanders’ record of 178 set in 2021.

Sophomore Alaina Darlage is the libero, and she gets steady defensive help from Collier and Gearlds.

Sophomore Ashlyn Hittle and freshman Maecy Cord, a serving specialist, also will be in the rotation to help Triton Central chase a semistate berth.

“That sounds crazy to me especially since we don’t have records up there (on the placard) for regionals in volleyball,” said May. “It’s something we as a team really want.”

Notes: The semistate matches will be at one of four sites in southern Indiana – Martinsville, Bedford North Lawrence, Jasper or Jennings County … The other Class 2A southern Indiana regional matches Saturday are No. 4 Tecumseh (26-8) vs. No. 1 Barr-Reeve (29-5), Greencastle (29-4) vs. Covenant Christian (18-11), and Southwestern (Hanover) (21-12) vs. No. 6 Eastern (Pekin) (29-5). … The winner of the Morristown Regional will face either Southwestern (Hanover) or Eastern (Pekin) in the semistate semifinal round.

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