Warren players celebrate after clinching the regional championship against London Saturday at Pickerington North. (Photo by Jordan Holland)

VINCENT — The competition at the state volleyball tournament will be fierce, but make no mistake — Warren belongs.

The Warriors have won 23 out of 25 matches this season, only losing twice to rival Marietta, a Division III regional qualifier. Warren’s journey to get to the Final Four has gone through Waverly (3-0), Logan Elm (3-0), Circleville (3-1), Meadowbrook (3-2) and London (3-1). That’s a gauntlet of some of the toughest teams Southeast and Central Ohio have to offer.

Up next, the Warriors will take on Roger Bacon at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at Vandalia Butler High School. The Spartans are a powerhouse out of Cincinnati that haven’t won less than 20 matches in a season since 2018.

“They must be pretty good if they made it this far,” said Warren libero Sarah Pettey following Saturday’s win against the Red Raiders in the regional final.

The fact is, any team still alive at this point in the season is not to be taken lightly.

The winner of Thursday’s match will take on either Shelby or Marlington at 1 p.m. Saturday at Wright State for the Division IV state championship.

Roger Bacon has won six straight matches, most recently sweeping McNicholas in a regional final. The Alyssa Flading-coached Spartans have a plethora of talent, led by first team All-Ohio outside hitter Mariah Gaines. The 5-foot-10 Gaines is averaging 3.6 kills per set this season. Her teammate Allyson Hughes is RBHS’s setter and averages 8.6 assists per set. Other key players for Roger Bacon are middle blocker Raegan Waller, libero Elizabeth Strouble and hitters Morgan Sunderam and Etellina Jackson.

The Warriors counter with one of the most underrated players in Ohio in Madyson Long. Long, an Ohio University commit, is averaging five kills per set, 4.5 digs per set and has 66 total aces, all team-highs.

“Madyson Long has rose above and is being that senior leader that this team needs, especially in these high-pressure situation games,” said Warren head coach Ann Skufca after Long posted 33 kills in the Warriors’ five-set win against Meadowbrook. “She rallies everybody up — same thing with our other senior captain, Sarah Pettey — with the inspiration and getting everybody hype and in tune to what we need to do.”

Middle hitter Sydney Starcher is a strong complement to Long. Starcher, listed at 6-0, averages 3.5 kills per set and has tallied a team-high 60 total blocks this season.

Elayna Greenwalt is having a strong sophomore season with 1.8 kills per set, 47 total blocks and 47 service aces. Bailey Saliba and Mya Stemple both have been key contributors to Warren’s attack as well.

Pettey’s passing (277 serves receiver) and Payge Cornell’s setting (10.5 assists per set) are equally as important to the Warriors’ success.