Spartans step it up in Palatine

St Francis' acclaimed girls volleyball program came into the Early Bird Classic as the heavy favorite this weekend.

The defending Class AA state champ and No. 1 Chicago area team did little to harm its reputation by winning the championship with a 25-21, 22-25, 25-22 victory over St. Charles East on Saturday at Fremd High School in Palatine.

With Kelsey Robinson at the service line, Megan Barnicle put down the match-winning kill to the middle of the floor, sending the Spartans to a perfect 7-0 record this fall and 5-0 in the tourney.

Barnicle collected 5 block kills in the match while Meghan Matusiak led the champs with 13 kills.

The offense as usual was directed superbly by setter Michelle Kocher, who dished out 37 assists while Kelsey Vorgert notched 10 service points and an ace. Teammate Catherine Culligan helped key the defense with 9 digs.

"I'm extremely pleased with this win," said Spartans coach Peg Kopec. "St. Charles (6-1) is a very good defensive team. They serve well and aggressively, and they have a nice offense."

The Saints' offense was led by senior Mattie Boyd (10 kills), while sophomore Caroline Niski and senior Courtney Sjostrom each had 4. Junior setter Laura Homann handed out 22 assists and served 3 aces. Senior teammate Julia Marks collected 5 aces.

"They (St. Francis) always have a competitive team," said Saints coach Jennie Kull. "We're very young, so to play teams of this caliber in a tournament so early is a real bonus and highlight for us because these kids know what they have now for the rest of the season."

Homann, Boyd and the defensive specialists are the only Saints in their same positions from last fall.

"We have so many young kids," Kull said. "To see them playing at such a high level against a team like St. Francis is a great way to start the season."

Kopec expounded on the character she saw from her squad, which posted a 25-20, 25-5, victory over Schaumburg (4-2) in the semifinals Saturday.

"With as much diversity as we have on our team with older and younger players, the kids showed a lot of heart," Kopec said. "I think they showed what they're made of and this was pretty much of a team effort."

St. Charles East advanced to the title match with a 25-18, 25-22 victory over Milwaukee Pius XI (14-2) in the semifinals.