All of the invitationals, postseason preps and conference races have been decided. The IHSAA sectional season is here and volleyball teams are rallying for a week of action, which begins tonight.

Triton will start right away at the Class 1-A Culver Sectional, taking on old school rival Oregon-Davis in the first game of the seven-team grid tonight at 7 p.m. The Lady Trojans, 16-13 on the season, beat O-D in August for its first win of the season and are excited to defend its sectional crown.

Triton has been led by a cast of characters, primarily Jaela Meister and Nicole Sechrist. Meister has 220 kills and 187 digs as well as 36 aces and has been the barometer – as Meister goes, so does Triton. Sechrist has been the second option at hitter, adding 137 kills as well as 41 aces and 200 digs this year. Quinn Downing has been the defensive specialist with a team-leading 259 digs and Hannah Wanemacher has served up 359 assists, at just over 12 assists per match.

“It feels good to start playing like this, everybody is starting to click at the exact right time,” said Triton head coach Samantha Willsey a week ago after beating Wawasee. “(We need to) just maintain momentum as we’re playing. That’s what gets us into trouble at times. We get too comfortable sometimes and dig ourselves into holes.”

Tuesday’s winner at Culver will meet South Central (Union Mills) at 11 a.m. Saturday. The Culver championship is set for 4 p.m. Saturday.

Whitko (19-12 overall) has an interesting set-up in the Class 2-A Central Noble Sectional, facing a LaVille team Thursday night in game two that has struggled all season, an approximate 8 p.m. start. Kaitlyn Reed should be ready to go as the team’s anchor. Reed is the heartbeat of the club, leading in digs (474), aces (43), kills (386) and carries a 42 percent kill percentage.

Emily Day (273 digs, 156 kills) and Whitney Marsh (107 kills, 33 blocks) give Whitko quite the front line and Haley Yohe has been hanging up over 22 assists per match.

Should Whitko get past LaVille, likely sectional favorite 2-A No. 9 Westview (26-4) will be waiting in the sectional semi-finals Saturday. Westview has to get past Fremont to set up a 12:30 p.m. Saturday showdown. The Central Noble final is at 5 p.m. Saturday.

Warsaw is chomping at the bit to get another crack at rival Elkhart Memorial. At the Class 4-A Penn Sectional, Memorial and Concord face off tonight with Warsaw awaiting the winner. Warsaw is 2-0 against Concord this season, but 0-2 against Memorial.

Since winning the Tiger Invite Sept. 26, Warsaw is 9-1 in its last 10, including a win at the Palace Oct. 12 against Penn. Coach Mike Howard’s club is 23-8 overall and has its big guns really working well, led by seniors Jordyn Lindeman, Peyton Adamiec, Lina Mayer and Haley Peterson. Lexie Day and Cassie Hoag have also helped in the surge as the Tigers are looking forward to the tournament.

“Facing any team for a third time is challenging,” Howard said. “We think we are playing our best volleyball right now and are excited for the opportunity to play in the postseason.”

The Class 3-A West Noble Sectional should be entertaining as hopes are high in several of the camps. Fairfield (21-8), which is looking for its 12th straight sectional title and fifth as a member of Class 3-A, has been on fire lately winning 12 of its last 13 matches including a sweep at Memorial in late September.

NorthWood (18-14) has been the other tree in the sectional over the years, but unable to get past Fairfield since the Falcons joined the sectional. NorthWood will have its hands full with Tippecanoe Valley (18-13), playing in the second game Thursday night. Fairfield and Lakeland (3-25) play in game one.

Valley has been up and down this season, but have the pieces to get the job done.

Abby Batten and Lexi O’Connell have been the big hitters for the Vikings, combining for 583 kills and 381 digs this season. O’Connell has also recorded 20 blocks. Shayleigh Shriver has given the team some defensive balance (131 digs and 31 aces) and Maddy Henninger has settled into the No. 1 setter with 473 assists.

On the other side of the West Noble grid, Wawasee (3-26) will need more consistent play if it wants to get past West Noble (16-11), which mowed over the Warriors in three straight Oct. 6. Seaquinn Bright has stepped forward for Wawasee with her consistent play. Hannah-Marie Lamle and Liz Hardy are the top options at the net and Peyton Rookstool has become the top setter as a freshman. Wawasee and West Noble are set to play in game two Saturday, an approximate 12:30 p.m. start, which follows the Thursday winners at 11 a.m. The West Noble final is set for 4 p.m.

Lakeland Christian Academy has built an 8-22-1 record this season, which included a four-match win streak in September. The Cougars have drawn Elkhart Christian Academy for a 6 p.m. Thursday rematch at the Class 1-A Bethany Christian Sectional. ECA defeated LCA in three games last Thursday. The winner would meet either Fort Wayne Blackhawk or Lakewood Park Christian at 11 a.m. Saturday. The Bethany final is set for 7 p.m. Saturday.