Barr-Reeve Rallies in Fourth Set to Claim Second Crown
After a roaring start to the match, Barr-Reeve overcame a late, two-point deficit in the fourth set to pull out a 3-1 (25-13, 13-25, 25-22, 26-24) victory over Pioneer in the Class A state championship match.
The Vikings of coach Amber DeCoursey thus claimed their second state championship in school history after also winning in 2013.
Barr-Reeve (34-5) roared out to a 10-1 lead in the opening set before claiming the win, only to see Pioneer come back strong in set two to even the match.
After Barr-Reeve took a 2-1 lead by winning set three, the teams fought to a 17-17 tie in set four. Pioneer recorded two straight points at that point and kept that advantage to set point at 24-22. However, Hailey Raber’s kill started a decisive, four-point rally by Barr-Reeve which ended with two straight kills by Addison Ainscough to end the match.
Anna Ballengee led the winners with 23 kills and Ainscough added 12. Pioneer, making its first-ever state finals appearance, got 13 kills from Alexis Robinson.
The Panthers of coach Rod Nies finished 30-10.
Pioneer’s Haley Gleitz earns Mental Attitude Award
At the conclusion of the state finals, the IHSAA Executive Committee, on behalf of Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance, named Haley Gleitz of Pioneer Junior-Senior High School as the winner of the Class A Mental Attitude Award.
She becomes the fourth female from her school and eighth athlete overall to win an IHSAA Mental Attitude Award from Pioneer High School.
Gleitz has earned a 3.7 GPA and is in the top 15% of her senior class academically. She has demonstrated her willingness to help others through volunteering on Live United Day, baking cookies for Wounded Warriors, washing the Royal Center fire truck, and painting Royal Center fire hydrants. Haley is the President of the Pioneer High School Pep Club and is Secretary of Pioneer’s National Honor Society. Haley is also a member of the girl’s basketball team and was the starting secondbaseman on the Panthers’ state championship softball team last spring.
Haley is the daughter of Brad Gleitz and Amber Walker. She plans to attend Butler, IU, or IUPUI to study obstetrical or pediatric nursing.
Each year the IHSAA Executive Committee selects a senior player who was nominated by her principal and coach and was determined to have best demonstrated mental attitude, scholarship, leadership and athletic ability. Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance, presenting sponsor of the IHSAA Mental Attitude Award in Class A Volleyball, will donate $1,000 to Pioneer’s general scholarship fund in the name of Haley Gleitz.
