Cary-Grove, PR hoping to see each other again
Volleyball coaches say beating a quality opponent three times in one season is a difficult task.
Cary-Grove can choke the life from that theory tonight depending on how the Class 4A Crystal Lake South sectional shakes out.
Cary-Grove (28-9) takes on 2006 Class AA state runner-up Rockton Hononegah (28-6) in the second semifinal at 6 p.m., a match immediately preceded by Prairie Ridge (20-16) against DeKalb (17-14) at 5 p.m.
The title match is scheduled for 7:15 p.m.
The Trojans dumped Hononegah twice on Oct. 6 to win the Schaumburg Invite, including a 25-15, 25-17 victory in the title match.
Cary-Grove also upended Fox Valley Conference rival Prairie Ridge twice during the regular season. The Trojans could be forced to beat the Wolves a third time if both District 155 schools end up playing for the title.
Hononegah lost the 2006 Class AA title match in two games to St. Francis. The Indians return just one player from that team, but she's a doozy -- 6-foot-5, second-team all-state middle blocker Elle Ohlander.
Ohlander led the Indians to their third straight, undefeated NIC-10 (formerly NIC- 9) Conference title. She'll sign her National Letter of Intent to attend Wisconsin in the off-season, which Cary-Grove hopes to usher in tonight.
"They've got a lot of power, a great middle, a big front line and two outsides that can really bang the ball well," Cary-Grove coach Patty Langanis said of Hononegah. "It will be similar to what we had to do against (Crystal Lake) South -- keep their block moving.
"But when they've got a middle who is 6-5 and can hit over the block easily, you have to be ready to dig those balls. That's what we've been working on."
That could mean a busy night for Cary-Grove senior libero Erin Wahl and the rest of the back row.
Sophomore setter Abbey Heredia attacks with junior outside hitter Allison Straumann, twin seniors Danielle and Breanna Smith, freshman hitter Kelly Lamberti and middle blocker Jamie Kuhl
Langanis said Hononegah may have been distracted at the Schaumburg Invite because it was Hononegah's homecoming weekend. Indians coach Julian Jacques offers another theory.
"We need to play better defense than we have against them and side out right away to stop the run," he said.
Prairie Ridge and DeKalb have not faced each other this season.
PR coach Stefanie Otto liked what she saw when the surging Wolves secured their sixth straight regional title last week on their home floor.
"I was thrilled with how they played," Otto said. "Major improvement.
"They're just jelling well as a team and they have cohesiveness on the court. We've changed our lineup so much throughout the season that they never really had an opportunity to get comfortable with who they were playing next to. And some of that was on purpose because I wanted to challenge some people to step it up. Some people had to earn playing all the way around."
One player Otto said stepped up her game in regional play was sophomore setter Taylor Brauneis, who scored her highest marks of the season in PR's internal grading system.
Brauneis effectively fed junior middle Sondra Parys and senior middle Ashley Doherty. Parys notched 12 kills, 2 blocks and 15 digs in the three-game regional title victory against Woodstock while Doherty finished with 10 kills, 3 aces and 4 digs.
"I don't know a lot about them other than I know they've always had a strong program and are always a tough team to beat in the postseason," said eighth-year DeKalb coach Julie Craven. "I feel we've been playing better lately because the girls have come together and have been stepping up and playing as a team. We're peaking at the right time."
DeKalb is led by freshman sensation Courtney Thomas, a club-trained player from Sports Performance in Aurora. Craven said the ninth-grader has become the Barbs' confident court leader and go-to player.
And if an all-Fox Valley Conference title match does develop?
"I think we can match up better against Prairie Ridge than Hononegah," Langanis said. "Hononegah has a lot more weapons than Prairie Ridge, but PR plays better defense."
Said Otto of possibly facing the Trojans a third time: "They're an aggressive team. We need to reflect that back at them by serving aggressively, passing consistently and swinging aggressively. That's what we're focusing on."
Tonight's winner advances to Monday's DeKalb supersectional against the winner of the Lake Park sectional, where Wheaton Warrenville South is the heavy favorite to emerge.