Joliet Catholic clips Saints
Having Joliet Catholic and the St. Charles East girls volleyball teams in the championship game of the Mizuno Cup was like a match made in heaven.
The Angels and Saints battled for the crown at the Great Lakes Center in Aurora, but Joliet Catholic walked away from the prestigious 24-team tournament undefeated Saturday. It beat host St. Charles East 25-15, 25-19.
The Saints (25-2) were not disappointed at all with second place. This was the first time since the 2001 season they earned the right to play in the championship match.
"Joliet Catholic came to play today," St. Charles East coach Jennie Kull said. "I'm pleased with the outcome. We haven't finished this well in a long time. Going up a great team like that ... they outplayed us. Defensively, they were all over the place. It was hard to find a hole on their side and they didn't make errors."
To get to the top, Joliet Catholic beat Naperville North and Barrington Friday and defeated Wheaton Warrenville South (25-15, 25-15) and Naperville Central (25-19, 19-25, 25-19) Saturday before the Saints. St. Charles East topped Edwardsville and Rockford Guilford Friday and Prairie Ridge (25-18, 25-20)and Muskego (25-15, 23-25, 25-18) Saturday.
"We weren't playing our best today, and we got as far as we did, so I'm pleased," Kull said. "Everybody played great at a different time today."
Naperville Central (23-3) beat Muskego (25-21, 25-21) for third place. Before that, it topped Wisconsin's Watertown (25-20, 25-12).
"We are happy with that," Naperville Central coach Brie Isaacson said. "We were obviously disappointed with the loss to (Joliet Catholic), but we were happy we came back strong after that. (The Angels) pretty much cleaned house here today, so I guess we can't feel too bad about it. You are a better team (after) playing in this tournament whether you win or lose."
Wheaton Warrenville South (17-9) earned the fifth-place spot against Belleville Althoff (25-13, 27-25) and also beat Watertown (25-23, 16-25, 25-22). The Tigers topped Hinsdale South and the Massachusetts-based Barnstable Friday.
"Coming in, we were seeded 12th, so to place higher than that is pretty good," Wheaton Warrenville South coach Bill Schreier said. "We played well against Joliet Catholic, but it's good to know we weren't the only ones who struggled against them ... but we are leaving here feeling pretty good."
Rounding out the Gold Bracket was Watertown's seventh-place finish over Prairie Ridge (18-25, 25-21, 27-25). The Wolves' (18-9) lone win of the day arrived against Belleville Althoff (25-21, 25-22).
"I'm glad to be in the top eight, but I was disappointed in our play today," Prairie Ridge coach Stefanie Otto said. "(Playing in the Gold Bracket) was a good surprise. I'm very happy with that. We played well (Friday, with wins over Bloomington and Lincoln-Way East)."
Freeport won the Silver Bracket after the 25-16, 25-22 win over Neuqua Valley (19-8). The Wildcats began the day strong with wins over St. Charles North (25-16, 25-22) and a huge 21-25, 30-32, 25-20 win over Naperville North.
"Today, we played solid," Neuqua Valley coach Kelly Simon said. "We played a good match against Naperville North but lacked energy in that last match (against Freeport). We had some highs and lows throughout the whole tournament. We are really proud with the success we had."
Naperville North (23-3) snagged the 11th-place spot after beating Bloomington 22-25, 25-20, 25-17. The Huskies also beat Hinsdale South, 25-11, 25-21.
"We aren't really concerned with what place we get. We are more concerned with how we are playing," Naperville North Jennifer Urban said. "We lost to Joliet Catholic Friday and clearly they are a very good team (because) they won the tournament. We had a tough pool the first day, but today we came out. We were happy with our win against Hinsdale South."
In the battle of two Tri-Cities-area teams, Geneva (23-3) captured 13th in the 25-12, 25-18 win over St. Charles North. The Vikings' lost to Freeport (Pretzels won 25-21, 26-24) and beat Edwardsville (25-23, 25-20) to get there. The North Stars' lone win of the day arrived against Hinsdale South (25-20, 27-25). Edwardsville placed 15th over the Hornets.
"We got what we got," Geneva coach KC Johnsen said. "I thought we played well four of the five matches. We are playing pretty good volleyball."
After losing both matches Friday, Rosary (23-9) finished Saturday 3-0 with wins over Belleville East (25-17, 25-12), Barrington (25-12, 25-14) and Lincoln-Way Central (25-20, 25-17) earning the Bronze Bracket.
"We very easily could have rolled over (after losing to Naperville Central and St. Charles North Friday)," Rosary coach Lisa Kasper said. "But we cared enough to come back today and win all three matches in convincing fashion."
Rockford Guilford beat Barrington for 19th place by scores of 26-24, 25-23. The Fillies (7-19) began their day with their lone win of the tournament over Barnstable (25-15, 25-16).
"It was good in the fact that we played with emotional consistency from start to finish," Barrington coach Chris Bronke said. "To establish some sort of team emotional identity was huge for us. This wasn't about the wins for us because I still think we can be a team that is ready to go in the postseason."
Barnstable beat Lincoln-Way East for 21st and Belleville East topped Plainfield South for 23rd.