IC coach Fields earns 700th win

Immaculate Conception had a Field day on Wednesday.

The Knights presented girls volleyball coach Jean Field with career victory No. 700 in convincing fashion, sweeping Aurora Central 25-13, 25-8 in a Suburban Catholic Conference match in Elmhurst.

"Whoa, they just came out like gangbusters," Field said. "We've been working on coming out and playing right off the bat, and they sure did. They really took it to 'em. I'm happy."

Field, 58, is the eighth Illinois high school volleyball coach to reach the milestone. Her career record stands at 700-405-7. She's coached the Knights to two state championships, three runner-up finishes, one third-place showing, eight Elite Eight appearances, 11 sectional championships and 18 regional titles.

"You don't get this far with a lot of support from a lot of people," Fields told the crowd in a ceremony afterward. She thanked her family and the program's coaches, players, coaches and fans.

The Knights (11-7, 2-5) made sure Field was able to enjoy the night from the start, scoring the first 12 points behind the serving of Maggie Ryan on the way to building a 19-1 lead against Aurora Central (2-14, 0-6) in the opener.

"It was really exciting to be part of such a big milestone with her," said IC senior captain Meg Kowieski. "We definitely wanted to win this one for her so she can get it over with and we can keep getting more for her."

"I think it's great," Aurora Central coach Randy Hewitt said of Field's accomplishment. "I wish she had done it against somebody else. There was way too much emotion in the gym tonight for us to overcome."

Junior middle hitter Danielle Remy led IC at the net with 8 kills and 4 blocks. Kowieski contributed 13 assists and 3 kills, while fellow setter Abby West tallied 8 assists and 6 kills.

Field received the game ball signed by the Knights from her players and a plaque from her assistant coaches.

"I've just had the most wonderful people to work with," Field said. "I can't say enough about all the girls that I've coached."

Field is excited to see her once powerful program on the rise with a talented young group.

"When you stay in coaching long enough you come full circle," she said. "So hopefully we're coming back the other way in the circle."

-- Dave Miller

St. Francis d. Marian Central:ŒThe Spartans (17-1, 6-1) rolled to a 25-16, 25-17 Suburban Catholic Conference sweep behind Michelle Kocher's 24 assists, Megan Barnicle's 9 kills and Meg Vondehaar's 8 kills.

Montini d. Driscoll:ŒStephanie Viane and Danielle Fracasso had 5 kills apiece and Alyssa Holum collected 16 assists for the Broncos (10-8, 3-3), who won 25-6, 25-11 in the Suburban Catholic Conference.

Fenton d. Proviso West:ŒThe Bison (6-10) prevailed 21-25, 25-12, 25-18 in nonconference action sparked by Lauren Esmits' 7 aces and 12 digs and Lauren Stanek's 23 assists and 3 aces.

Wilmington d. Lisle:ŒSarah Urban led the Lions (7-8) in kills with 7 and Stephanie Kelly put up 12 assists in their 25-21, 17-25, 25-14 loss in an Interstate Eight Conference crossover.

Boys soccer

Bartlett 1, Kaneland 0:ŒIn a sense, Wednesday's Bartlett-Kaneland soccer match looked a lot like the kind of football they play that used all the stripes that covered the Kirk Road field that is used for some of St. Charles East's Invitational matches.

This had all the elements of classic gridiron football -- gritty stuff, lots of tackles and a number of passes that crossed the goal line but outside the space where soccer puts its nets.

While neither team walked off the field ecstatic, Bartlett gained a 1-0 victory thanks to a Joey Macchione second half penalty kick. So the Hawks could at least assuage their feelings of not playing well with a win.

"Today was not a great Bartlett soccer day," Bartlett coach Steve Buchs said. "If you've watched soccer, this was definitely not a good day for Bartlett soccer."

The potential was there, and showed itself in spots. But for the majority of the match, linking those solid moments was beyond the Hawks.

"When our guys play like they're supposed to play and like they're told to play, we get the ball to where we want it and we get our opportunities," Buchs said. "It's those times in-between where we're doing other things that's causing problems. The more we get on the same path, the more we'll play better."

-- Darryl Mellema