Hersey fourth at Pumpkin

For the second time in three years, the Hersey girls volleyball team reached the final four in the Maine West Pumpkin Tournament.

The Huskies' first loss in the prestigious 24-team invite came Saturday to defending Class AA state champion Wheaton St. Francis in the semifinals.

The Spartans (30-3) defeated Hersey 25-18, 25-14 and went on to claim the championship with a 25-23, 25-19 victory over Downers Grove South 25-23, 25-19.

"Wheaton St. Francis just took the wind out of our sails," said Huskies coach Nancy Lill, whose team is 21-8. "We struggled with serve receive. They kept coming at us. They're an amazing team and we couldn't keep up with them."

Even a program couldn't help fans keep up with the Huskies in the third-place match, as Lill used three newcomers who had been playing on the lower levels.

Sandburg won the match 25-18, 25-14.

Sophomore Maddie Swan (2 kills), junior Kim Orlowski (5 digs) and sophomore Joanna Hoffman (1 assist) saw first-time varsity action for the Mid-Suburban East champs.

"It was a good experience for those kids," said Lill, whose team plays at Schaumburg on Wednesday for the MSL championship.

"We're thrilled to finish in the top four. We were really excited with how we played against Stagg in our first match Saturday (25-21, 25-21 triumph). It was great to play teams of this caliber. It's all about the process of trying to get ready for the postseason."

Top attackers for the Huskies were Lauren Dembkowski (34 kills), Ann Carroll (25), Katie Lill (18), McKenzie Forbes (14), Shelly Mueller (14) and Grace Nowack (7).

Carroll led the Huskies with 10 blocks, while Mueller handed out 88 assists in five matches.

"We had our ups and downs," said Dembkowski who also had a team-high 40 digs, followed by Becca Haraf with 39. "A lot of people stepped up for us."

Barrington placed 13th, followed area teams Palatine (19th), Maine West (20th) and Hoffman Estates (22nd).

Hoffman (9-24) was led on attack by Ashley Chervinko (23 kills), Altrese Hawkins (18) and Megan Bernardoni (12) while Stephanie Schwarz handed out 34 assists and Becky Gilbert 31.

Grayslake North Invite: Fremd (20-9) went 5-0 to win the championship.

Glenbard East Invite: Schaumburg experienced an up-and-down ride in Autumnfest.

The Saxons (25-7) went 2-3 on the way to equaling their 12th seed in the 24-team tournament at Glenbard East in Lombard.

"It was a seesaw tournament for us, and we're going to take those valleys and try to raise them up a little," said Schaumburg coach Jeanette Pancratz.

On Saturday, the Saxons opened with a 23-25, 27-25, 25-22 triumph over Waubonsie Valley in the Silver Division.

They dropped their next two matches, losing to Glenbard East 25-19, 26-24 and Lemont 25-16, 25-14 in the 11th-place match.

"There's some disappointment in this tournament as far as a couple things on execution," Pancratz said, "but overall it was a good learning experience for us and now we've got to challenge ourselves to remedy some of the things that we can.

"Games are won on serve and serve receive and that's an area that we want to continue to improve on. I was pleased overall with our blocking."

Gabrielle Blackwell (29 kills), Alexandria Jackson (18), Drewann Pancratz (17) and Emily Young (4) led the Saxons attack set by Drewann Pancratz with 63 assists.

A week after winning the Mizuno Cup, Naperville Central won the Autumnfest with a 25-17, 25-18 win over Joliet Catholic in the championship match.

--Dave Miller