Girls volleyball: Scouting Fox Valley area supersectionals

Class 2A at Hampshire

Hampshire (35-3) vs. Westmont (25-11)

When: 6 p.m. Monday at the Purple Palace

Winner gets: A date in the Class 2A Final Four at Redbird Arena on Friday, facing either Chicago Christian or Spring Valley Hall.

Outlook: If one match early in the season is any indication of what's to come Monday night, Hampshire should feel pretty confident about its chances to advance to the Final Four for the first time in program history. Coach Karen Whitehouse's Whip-Purs rolled over Westmont 25-14, 25-12 at the IMSA tournament earlier in the season but Whitehouse isn't putting a lot of stock in that now. "It was very early in the season," she said. "(Westmont) is a very competitive team and they bring a lot of intensity to the court. But we know what we have to do to control things." Hampshire, whose losses were to Class 3A Burlington Central (twice) and Class 4A Geneva, has been led all season by a balanced attack both offensively and defensively. It's an attack that starts with senior libero Jen Konradt's passing." She's our primary passer and she does a phenomenal job on defense," said Whitehouse. Konradt enjoys the role. "I try to help my team out," she said after the Whips defeated Oregon in the Byron sectional final. "They rely on me quite a bit to get the serve and I enjoy it." Hampshire enjoys pounding kills, too, and the front row is formidable with seniors Jena Karkos, Kim Kartheiser and Amber Ladwig, along with sophomore Amy Wehrs leading the way. Wehrs' twin sister Kara is a precision setter. "Hampshire is a team of all club players who are tall, athletic and hard hitters," said 21st-year Westmont coach Jennifer Gliwa-Bell, whose team beat Chicago Latin to win the Luther North sectional. "That day we played (Hampshire) we didn't play particularly well. Not to make excuses but it was our homecoming weekend and we just didn't play well." The Sentinels, who tied for the Interstate Eight Conference title with Lisle, are led by 6-foot freshman Sara Sternard and 5-8 junior Anne Danielski in the middle. "When we get them the ball we've been successful," Gliwa-Bell said. Westmont runs a 6-2 offense with 5-4 senior Rachel Morgan and 5-5 junior Angel Kokoszka setting. Left side senior Stephanie Andrews (5-10) provides some power and 5-7 junior Nicole Lubek anchors the back row. "Our losses have been due to a lack of ball control," Gliwa-Bell said. "A strength for us has been passing and serving. Those are the things we tend to do well. We're working on playing defense with no block. (Hampshire's) big hitters can take us right out of our block." Hampshire will have a decided home-court advantage, a fact not lost on either coach. "Playing in their gym will make it tougher," said Gliwa-Bell. "But we have nothing to lose. We're the underdog. We'll just go out and do what we've been doing and leave it all on the floor." Whitehouse says her team is far from ready to call it a season and being home for the supersectional is an added bonus. "We definitely have an advantage being on our home court," she said. "Our goal from day one has been to go downstate and the girls want this more than anything."

Class 4A at DeKalb

Prairie Ridge (22-16) vs. St. Charles East (27-12)

When: 6 p.m. Monday at DeKalb High School

Winner gets: A date in the Class 4a Final Four at Redbird Arena with a 6:30 p.m. state semifinal on Friday against Lyons Twp. or Mother McAuley.

Outlook: An unlikely pair meet in the Class 4A supersectional at DeKalb. Prairie Ridge won the Crystal Lake South sectional by knocking off defending state runner-up Hononegah in the title match while the Saints upset top-seeded Wheaton Warrenville South in the Lake Park sectional final. The Wolves and Saints have met this season with PR winning in three games. "We're such a different team now I don't even want to talk about that match," said PR coach Stefanie Otto. "It was a very close match." Otto has been impressed with her senior leadership during the postseason, lauding the efforts of 6-foot MB Ashley Doherty and 5-5 outside Jessica Thompson, along with that of 6-0 junior MB Sondra Parys and 5-7 junior DS Keri Rankin and sophomore setter Taylor Brauneis. "I'm very proud of this team," Otto said. "They've really learned to play well together and they're working hard. We had a terrible Autumnfest tournament; it was really ugly for us. But since that point they've decided to turn it on and they've really played well. It's really a passion of theirs to go downstate." While Otto respects the Saints, she says the Wolves just need to do what they do best. "It's going to come down to who can serve receive the best so that things can be run," she said. "And, we need to serve aggressively." Coach Jennie Kull's St. Charles East squad is led by senior OH Mattie Boyd, who is committed to DePaul. Setter Laura Homann is the team's playmaker while Julia Marks and Alex Coello are the digs leaders. Caroline Niski and Jacqui Seidel have come on strong in the postseason.