(11-5-22) It took five sets but Blackhawk Christian is the IHSAA 1A State Volleyball Champions knocking off Tecumseh 21-25, 25-13, 12-25, 25-20, 15-5.

It was the 2nd title for Blackhawk Christian in their 2nd visit to the finals, the other one came in 2016.

State finals day began with a marathon, five-setter and when it was over, Fort Wayne Blackhawk rallied from a 2-1 deficit to post a 3-2 victory over second-ranked Tecumseh (21-25, 25-13, 12-25, 25-20, 15-5). 

The victory for coach Anne Boyer’s Braves (34-4) marks second state title for the program, with the first coming in 2016. 

A match of radical momentum swings saw nine ties and six lead-changes in set one and nary a lead-change and only six ties in any of the final four sets. Blackhawk took a 6-4 lead in the final set, then ran off a 9-1 spurt to finish the match. 

Junior Allie Boyer led the winners with 17 kills and Abbie Cressy added 11. Leena Leichty had 40 assists. 
Tecumseh (31-5) got 12 kills from Ava Kissel and 10 from Jenna Donohoo. Katelyn Marx served up a match-high five aces.  

Tecumseh, coached by Katie Johnson, was making its first appearance in the state finals since three-straight trips from 2002-04. 

BOX SCORE

Blackhawk Christian’s Allie Boyer picked up her 1,000th kill for her career in the 5th set.

How they arrived at the Final Match –

Following the match, Brianna Marx of Tecumseh High School was announced as the recipient of the Mental Attitude Award by the IHSAA Executive Committee.

Brianna is a member of the Indiana Academic All-State team and is also a member of the National Honor Society at Tecumseh High School, while maintaining a 3.6 GPA.

She is an exceptional multi-sport athlete, participating in volleyball, basketball, and softball at Tecumseh. Brianna also has been an integral component of Tecumseh High School winning 42 consecutive conference volleyball contests during her four years as a student.

She is the daughter of Stephen and Mandy Marx of Elberfeld, IN and is interested in studying exercise science/physical therapy at Indiana State University.

The Mental Attitude Award is annually presented to a senior, who is nominated by her principal and coach, and has demonstrated excellence in mental attitude, scholarship, leadership and athletic ability during her four years of high school.

Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance, a corporate partner of the IHSAA, presented a $1,000 scholarship to Tecumseh High School’s general scholarship fund in the name of Brianna Marx.

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