Sectional play gets underway for Chesterton boys volleyball team vs. South Central at Michigan City today at 5:30 p.m.

Tom Keegan
Onwardtrojans.com

The field in the Michigan City boys volleyball sectional that started at nine has been trimmed to six Wednesday and will be down to four by the end of today’s action.
South Central faces Chesterton for the second time in eight days today at 5:30 p.m. at Michigan City. Kouts plays City in another quarterfinal scheduled to start 7 p.m.
The tournament got underway Monday when Michigan City advanced to the quarterfinal round by easily handling LaPorte, 3-0, to advance. Westville advanced to the semifinal round by dominating winless Tri-Township on Wednesday and will face Washington Township in a semifinal on Saturday at 11 a.m.
Washington Township (16-3) reached the semifinal round by winning what to date was easily the most exciting match of the sectional, defeating Morgan Township 3-2 by scores of 25-17, 24-26, 21-25, 25-20, 15-13.
If Chesterton (23-4) wins tonight, it will advance to a Saturday semifinal at 12:30 p.m. vs. the winner of Kouts vs. Michigan City. The championship match is scheduled for Saturday at 6 p.m.
The most likely scenario has Chesterton meeting Washington Township with the championship at stake.
But first, the Trojans must knock off South Central and then either City or Kouts.
Chesterton opens the first IHSAA-sanctioned boys volleyball state tournament eager to get started and brimming with confidence.
“These last couple of days of practice have been our best practices ever, I think,” reserve senior right-side hitter Ryan Tucker said. “I think we’re going to peak right at the right time. I think we’re all ready to lock in and I think it’s going to be a good time, and I think that intensity level, it just gets higher. And we’re all here for it. We’re all ready.”
Stars and reserves alike will seek to play the best volleyball of their lives to give the Trojans their best shot at surviving and advancing. The way Tucker views it, part of his responsibility is to lend teammates energy even when he’s sitting on the bench.
“I think my job is to try to keep motivation and energy up and I find that what helps is cheering,” Tucker said. “That helps you lock in even more than anything else. And when I’m in the game, it’s getting that support from teammates and doing my best to make sure I can contribute any way I can and lift others up and keep doing what I know what I can do.”
Which is?
“I love blocking,” he said. “Blocking is my thing. I love that so much.”
Chesterton will have a size advantage over whichever opponent or opponents they face in the sectional.
“We have a tall team,” Tucker said. “We have a big team. We definitely have one of the best blocking teams in the DAC. Other teams know that and that might intimidate them just a little bit, but if it doesn’t, we’re here anyway, and we’re going to block them.”
Today’s contest is a rematch with the Satellites that Chesterton won 3-0 on May 7 by scores of 25-20, 26-24, 25-18 on the road in a South Central gym with unusually low ceilings.
“I think our team is playing really well,” coach Kevin Labaj said before Wednesday’s practice. “We’re practicing really well.”
After Wednesday’s practice, Labaj went to Michigan City to scout the Morgan Township/Washington Township match.