Scouting Fox Valley area supersectionals
Class 4A At Elgin
Matchup: Crystal Lake South (32-7) vs. St. Charles East (35-4)
When: Today, 1 p.m.
How they got here: Crystal Lake South won the Prairie Ridge sectional with wins over Jacobs (25-20, 25-20) and Huntley (25-20, 25-13) and won the Woodstock regional with victories over McHenry (25-12, 25-12) and Prairie Ridge (25-22, 25-22). St. Charles East won the York sectional with victories over Glenbard East (25-15, 25-14) and York (25-22, 25-19) and won the Willowbrook regional with victories over West Chicago (25-16, 25-15) and Willowbrook (25-9, 25-13).
Outlook: Crystal Lake South is back in what is referred to the supersectional level of the postseason for the first time since 1996, which was the final year in a tremendous run that saw the Gators reach the super 5 times and bring home 4 state trophies in a 6-year span under former coach Pete Kottra. The Gators, who have not lost since a setback to Prairie Ridge at the Autumnfest tournament in mid-October, have thrived from the contributions of many in the postseason. First-year head coach Jorie Fontana noted players like Brittany Atkinson, setter Jordan Guida, Erin Johnson (headed to the University of Illinois), Caitlin Schumacher and Kali Loescher have had their run in the spotlight during the last 4 matches. "We've handed it around," said Fontana, a former honorary co-captain of the Daily Herald's All-Area team as a player at Jacobs. "That's been the key to our success. It's been a team effort. It's about who is stepping up and who is supporting them to be that star. They have all been pulling their weight, which is great." St. Charles East is in the super for a second-straight year. The Saints, under veteran coach Jennie Kull, took third in Class 4A in 2007. Like its counterpart, St. Charles East has also seen a variety of standouts step to the forefront in the postseason. "Spreading it around has been our key to success," said Kull, who has over 350 wins as Saints' coach. "We have different people stepping up at different times. There is not one person who has made it or broken it for us." University of Syracuse-bound setter Laura Homann has a number of weapons at her disposal including Haley Streich, Jacqui Seidel, Caroline Niski and Meghan Niski. "Laura does a nice job spreading the offense," said Kull. "We're fortunate we have such a good quarterback on the team." Homann is one of only 2 seniors that start for East.
Advancement: The Elgin supersectional winner plays the 6:30 p.m. state semifinal next Friday at Redbird Arena against either Fremd or Evanston, who play today in the Mundelein supersectional.
Class 3A At Freeport
Matchup: Metamora (35-2) vs. Burlington Central (32-6)
When: Today, 6 p.m.
How they got here: Metamora won the Washington sectional title with wins over Morton (25-14, 13-25, 25-20) and Bloomington (25-16, 25-16) and won the Metamora regional title with wins over Peoria-Woodruff (25-12, 25-13) and Washington (25-20, 25-19). Central won the Sterling sectional title with wins over Freeport (25-22, 23-25, 25-18) and LaSalle-Peru (25-23, 18-25, 25-23) and won the Sycamore regional crown with wins over Kaneland (25-14, 22-25, 25-13) and Sycamore (25-13, 25-21).
Outlook: Metamora graduated 9 seniors from its 2007 team that reached the supersectional (losing to Sycamore). But one major cog from that team returned this year in Illinois State-bound senior outside hitter Angela Rego (6-1), who is averaging 5.7 kills per game. Metamora, a town of 2,700 residents near Peoria, has lost this year only to Quincy (which lost in Class 4A sectional final to Edwardsville in 3 games) and St. Joseph's Academy from Missouri (which played in the Class 4A Missouri State semifinals Friday). Coach Karla Bartman, who has been coaching in the program since 1987, has seen the junior quartet of Brianna Lampe (5-10, MB), Lindsay Herman (5-9, OH), Krista Polanin (5-9, MB) and Morgan Obery (5-5, S) step to the forefront. "A lot of teams pay a lot of attention to Angela," said Bartman. "Other kids have stepped up. We can play the whole net and extend the defense. When other teams key on her, we have players that have stepped up." Bartman said the trek from Metamora to Freeport will be about 150 miles, a lot shorter than Burlington Central's. The Rockets have been through the wars, having gone three grueling games in both their sectional matches. "I'm sure we'll look back later and be proud of what we've done but for right now we're looking forward," said Rockets coach Marv Leavitt, whose program is in the Elite Eight for the first time. "We want to play more after (today)." The Rockets have been led all year by the tandem of senior setter Molly Turk and junior Northwestern-bound standout Stephanie Holthus, who had 39 kills and was 58-of-58 on serve receive in the two sectional matches. Northern Iowa recruit Turk is playing with a sore back, but still ran the offense efficiently in the sectional. :Our setter has done a fantastic job of playing through the pain," Leavitt said. BC has also gotten major contributions from players like junior outside Taylor Scully, senior OH/S Megan Zasada, sophomore middle Audrey Dujkic and freshmen Samantha Bohe (libero) and Kaitlyn O'Reilly. "Our serve receive has been rock solid and our primary passers have done a great job, which has allowed us to side out and not let teams get on runs against us," Leavitt said. "Zasada's passing has been rock solid and our freshman libero has done a fantastic job in pressure-packed games. Everyone who has stepped on the court has done a great job."
Advancement: The Freeport supersectional winner plays the 4:30 p.m. state semifinal next Friday at Redbird Arena against either Marian Central or Chicago Walter Payton, which play today in the Grayslake supersectional.
Class 2A at Byron
Matchup: St. Edward (22-17) vs. Immaculate Conception (30-9)
When: Today, 6 p.m.
How they got here: IC won the Luther North sectional with victories over St. Benedict (25-6, 25-10) and Chicago Christian (21-25, 25-18, 25-17) and took the Driscoll regional crown with victories over Timothy Christian (25-17, 25-13) and Westmont (25-20, 25-20). St. Edward won the Forreston sectional, beating Winnebago 25-17, 26-24 and Oregon 25-15, 25-16. The Green Wave won their own regional, downing Aurora Christian 25-13, 25-20 and Harvard 25-22, 21-25, 25-23.
Outlook: St. Edward knows it's a tough challenge to beat a team three times in one season, especially a conference rival coached by a legend. But that's what the Green Wave must do tonight if they are to advance to the Final Four. "I approached it today as, 'Hey, we've played them twice and it's gone 3 games each time. Why has it gone 3 three games?,' " said St. Edward coach Jaime Walton after practice Friday. "This will be tough. It's a neutral court and there's a lot more on the line. (IC) had to play some tough teams to get here and we have had kind of an easy road except for Harvard." The Green Wave continued to be led by senior standouts Kristen Haggenjos (Loyola) and Katie Yohn, but has also gotten key contributions down the stretch from players like Molly Kelly and Tess Barry. "We've done a great job," Walton said. "It seems like we've struggled all year because we play such a tough schedule. We've learned from our mistakes and built on them." IC is back in the supersectional round for a second-straight year (Class 1A supersectional qualifier last year) after a come-from-behind win over Chicago Christian (which had beaten the Knights early in the season at the Timothy Christian-Westmont tournament). The Knights, under the direction of volleyball coaching legend Jean Field (34th season, 700-win club), have no shortage of contributors. Seniors Mary Kate Manion (5-7, OH), Danielle Remy (5-11, MB), Catherine Guido (5-2, Libero) and Mary Cheng (5-6, OH) lead the way. Guido is a 4-year varsity player, while Manion and Remy are in their third varsity seasons. IC has been running out of the 6-2 formation with junior Abby West and sophomore Judy Morris at the controls. IC, which hit 30 wins for the first time since 1992, lost to St. Edward twice during the Suburban Catholic Conference season, but went to 3 games both times (24-26, 25-17, 26-24 then 25-19, 20-25, 25-21). "It's kind of the same way (as with Chicago Christian), the kids feel like they have something to prove," said Field, who directed the 1981 and 1984 IC teams to state titles (6 state trophies overall). "We've gone three with them. Sometimes it's hard to beat a team three times. The kids weren't satisfied with the way they played when they walked off the court. I think the kids aren't ready for their season to be over yet. Their goal is to be able to practice next week." IC is 24-1 in nonconference matches this year. "They have an outstanding libero and a really good middle," said Walton of the Knights.
Advancement: The winner of the Byron supersectional plays the 12:30 p.m. state semifinal at Redbird Arena next Friday against either Freeburg or Newton, who play in the Vandalia supersectional today.