The journey starts at a local level with a round of the tournament known as the Sectionals . The first opponent for Providence was close rival Silver Creek . Grace Purichia reflected , “ We started out shaky and that was a result of all of the pressure . They are a big rivalry . We know a lot of those girls and they are very competitive . They are a good , talented team . We were all thinking , ‘ We were knocked off last year by a rival . Will this happen again ?’ So , we came off shaky , but we worked through it and from then on we were on a roll .”
Practice after the Silver Creek win turned into a serious discussion and a reality check . “ We talked about our fears and concerns ,” replied Taylor Bansbach . “ From then on , we played for each other . That is kind of our trademark .”
Undefeated wins over Madison and Scottsburg found the Pioneers champions of the Madison Consolidated Sectional . But the road to the final is still not a straight thoroughfare . The journey now has to travel through the Regional level of this IHSAA tournament route .
The Regional semi-final game found Providence playing the Barr-Reeve Vikings from Montgomery . This regional matchup took place in Corydon . The straight-set victory for the Pioneers was an impressive win against the Vikings , who finished their season at 33-2 . The Greensburg Pirates provided the next speed bump for Providence , but the Pioneers turned on the gas . Providence handed the Pirates their season ’ s only loss and detoured their hopes for a championship run .
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PROVIDENCE JUNIOR ELLA BALDWIN PASSES A BALL DURING THE PIONEERS ’ 3-2 VICTORY OVER WESTERN BOONE IN THE CLASS 3A COLUMBUS EAST SEMISTATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME .
PROVIDENCE CELEBRATES A POINT DURING THE PIONEERS ’ 3-2 VICTORY OVER WESTERN BOONE IN THE CLASS 3A COLUMBUS EAST SEMISTATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME .
NEWS AND TRIBUNE PROVIDENCE PIONEERS | VOLLEYBALL | IHSAA CLASS 3A STATE CHAMPS 2022 7