YORKTOWN, Ind – The Yorktown Tigers are the lone Delaware County team remaining in the postseason. The Tigers were dominant (33-2) in the regular season and that didn’t change when the playoffs hit as the green and black cruised through their competition, only dropping two sets in postseason play.
They now have one last challenge: the IHSAA 4A State Championship game, where they will face Carroll.
“I don’t think you ever get sick of winning,” Yorktown head coach Stephanie Bloom said. “I told our girls on Saturday it's really hard to win and to not take it for granted and to soak up the moment and to embrace the journey.”
That journey has only been a piece of what the end goal was for the Tigers.
“This is something we thought we could do,” Yorktown senior Charlotte Vinson said. “During the whole season, the goal was to win our last game, and it [just so] happens with our last game being state, it’s something we’ve thought about since the beginning of the season.”
Being under the bright lights of Worthen Arena is nothing new for a multitude of players on the Yorktown roster. The senior-led team brings a lot of experience to the table with many of the Tigers having been on the state finals’ stage before.
“As a group of seniors, we need to come alongside the younger girls to ease their nerves,” Yorktown senior Addie Applegate said. “We have to prepare them for what it’s like and that it’s exciting and a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
That senior group has stepped up as vocal leaders and carved out their own identity on the Tiger squad. A step that was needed to get to this point in the season.
“For a lot of years, Charlotte was the vocal leader, and they relied on her,” Bloom said. “I think that they've had some missteps trying to find their own voice and their own belief in who they are.
“What's been neat for me is to see them rise up from that, and realize, whatever your role is, ‘I have influence and I have leadership.’ To watch them understand ‘my body language has power, my words have power,’ and to watch them become empowered in their leadership.”
The Yorktown program is no stranger to being a championship-pedigree team. The Tigers have been to the state finals nine times since the year 2000, winning five of those.
“[Winning here] is a mindset,” Vinson said. “Even if we don’t have the most talented players, we’re going to work harder than everyone else and that’s what separates us.”
While the Tigers have looked good and are ranked as the No. 2 4A team in the state, Carroll is no slouch. The Chargers are the No. 5 team in 4A and have a 32-3 record. Add in that they are looking for their first volleyball state title, the Tigers are not overlooking their opponent.
That’s something the team believes they haven't done all year. In fact, the team thinks it hasn’t overlooked any challenge this season. When it comes to Vinson missing the start of the year, there were some questions about how her and the team would handle the changes. To Vinson, the Indiana University commit knew she would be back.
“It’s been hard, but I always knew I would come back and be in the spot I am,” Vinson said. “Even though everyone was unsure, I always had that mindset and my teammates believed that I could do it.”
The Tigers’ attempt to take home another state championship will begin Saturday, Nov. 9 at 7 p.m.
Contact Zach Carter via email at zachary.carter@bsu.edu or via X @ZachCarter85. Contact David Moore via email at david.moore@bsu.edu or on X @gingninj63.
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