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Girls volleyball: Geneva focused on continuing its magical season

Picked by numerous publications to win the World Series during the preseason, the Chicago Cubs and their unconventional manager Joe Maddon adopted the philosophy of "embracing the target" this season.

Geneva's girls volleyball players can understand the feeling.

Prior to their season opener in August, the Vikings received glowing accolades from media outlets.

With five of their six starters returning, coach Annie Seitelman's Vikings were ranked No. 7 in the USA Today's preseason "Super 25."

While receiving the No. 1 ranking in the Daily Herald's Top 20, Geneva gathered additional national attention from PrepVolleyball.com (No. 14) and MaxPreps.com (No. 27).

"It was exciting but at the same time we hadn't played a game yet," said 6-foot-2 senior outside hitter Grace Loberg.

"There was some talk coming from outside of our gym that we heard," said Seitelman. "We talked about that early on - how we handled that and what we can control.

"That has been our biggest focus - what goes on our side of the court and not letting other things filter in."

After winning their first 23 matches, the Vikings continued to climb the rankings ladder before a 24-26, 25-27 loss to Benet Academy in last month's St. Charles East/Mizuno Cup championship.

"Once we lost a game, we could stop worrying about what our rankings were," said Loberg.

The victories have kept coming.

Geneva improved to 35-1 with last week's 25-13, 25-19 Class 4A St. Charles North regional championship win over Waubonsie Valley.

With the victory, the top-seeded Vikings earned a trip back home for Tuesday night's sectional semifinals against Neuqua Valley.

"Hopefully, we'll get a great crowd and with that familiarity, we'll have our kids playing comfortable and relaxed," said Seitelman, who isn't taking anything for granted.

"When postseason starts, it's a second season. Everybody starts out at 0-0. Yes, we had a great season but we don't want to lose and be done."

As the No. 3 seed a year ago, Geneva suffered a season-ending 25-17, 23-25, 23-25 regional championship loss to Naperville North.

The loss has served as a source of motivation for the Vikings.

"Our season was cut short last year - shorter than they would have liked so that definitely resonates," said Seitelman. "We've been taking a different approach than we did from last season which is match by match, point by point, not looking ahead - being able to be present in the moment."

"We were very motivated by last year," said middle blocker Julia Brown. "We wanted to get past this barrier (regional finals) and keep going in the tournament.

"The further into the season we've gotten and the better our record became, naturally you're going to get sort of a target on your back from that. We've had that in the back of our minds but we've really tried to just focus on what we're doing on the court so we can keep up the record that we've worked for."

Seitelman, who owns an impressive 98-13 record in three years as head coach, fields a senior-dominated group that includes Ally Barrett, Ally Mullen, Mikayla Lanasa, Taylor Brown, Julia Brown, Loberg, and talented juniors Payton Bellano and Molly Lambillotte.

"This is a special group," said Seitelman. "The personalities, the energy, the competitiveness - I could sit here and talk all night about it."

Practices can get spirited.

"We've got a lot of competitiveness in the gym with each other but it's nice when we can come out and gear that toward the opponent," said Seitelman.

"I've had the pleasure of coaching a handful of them for the last three years. It has been nice to get to know them."

Loberg, a 4-year varsity veteran, was a freshman starter when Geneva captured their last sectional title (2013).

"This year has been my personal favorite," said the Wisconsin-bound standout. "My best friends are on the team. We hang out outside of volleyball."

In order for the Vikings to earn a mid-November trip to Redbird Arena, they'll have to maneuver their way through a rugged path that starts with Neuqua Valley and could include defending 4A state champion St. Francis, Wheaton North, Mother McAuley or a rubber-match third meeting with Benet Academy.

"It is loaded," said Seitelman said. "That's what we're used to. Being in the hotbed of volleyball, we get a tough draw."

St. Charles North coach Lindsey Hawkins feels Geneva has what it takes to survive.

"If you look at their starting lineup, they're all playing at a very intense level of volleyball outside of school (club)," said Hawkins. "They're playing at the highest level so that really helps.

"They have that senior leadership. Grace and Ally have been in this situation. They have a sense of urgency. I hate to make predictions but whoever comes out of our supersectional will win it (state title)."

Craig Brueske can be reached at csb4k@hotmail.com

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