Girls volleyball: Match-tested Timothy Christian triumphs

Leading up to the IHSA postseason tournament, Timothy Christian lost six of seven contests.

Seeing as teams want to be playing their best volleyball during that stretch, the record didn't look good for the Trojans.

But looks can be deceiving.

"Record-wise, it doesn't look great look great, but it's translating in the postseason," coach Scott Piersma said. "We ended the season with some losses, but we played well in them. So I think we're in a good spot."

The Trojans advanced that spot forward Monday night by marching past Christ The King 25-2, 25-7 in a Class 2A sectional battle at IC Catholic Prep in Elmhurst.

It was the third consecutive straight-set playoff win for Timothy Christian, including a regional title victory last week at Regina Dominican.

Thanks to a tough regular-season slate, which Piersma said featured 12 Class 4A and eight Class 3A opponents, Piersma feels his team is where it needs to be, even if Christ The King wasn't as competitive as other recent matchups.

"We ... saw they lost to teams we beat pretty handily so we kind of knew there wasn't going to be much to do, so we didn't do anything crazy," Piersma said. "We knew we wouldn't have to. So we keep it basic, work on that stuff and plan to get ready for Wednesday."

Christ The King coach Ashley Talley said her girls were just trying to play their game and enjoy the sectional. Her team won a regional title without picking up a ball.

The young Gladiators were in a regional with four Chicago Public Schools, which saw a 15-day teachers' strike erase postseason athletics for dozens of high schools.

Talley said it was a frustrating week, as her team was playing wait-and-see.

"Obviously, the girls want to know who we play and where we play," said Talley, whose players only go to school four days a week - they work the other weekday - so it was difficult to schedule practices with the uncertainty.

Timothy Christian didn't waste much time besting Christ the King. In the half-hour bout, Annie Taylor had a game-high 7 kills, while Hannah Schuringa had 6.

Abi Alonzo and Sophie Labuda had 4 aces apiece, and Greta Hoogstra added 3.

The Trojans quickly switched focus to in-town rival, IC Catholic Prep, which rapidly discarded Francis Parker in the second sectional semifinal of the night.

IC Catholic Prep downed Timothy Christian in both of the teams' regular-season meetings.

Piersma and company, however, are ready to prove third time's a charm.

"We're feeling good for Wednesday," he said. "We're excited to play them. It will be a big-time match."