Mother McAuley tourney features the best
You can change the title sponsor and the tournament name.
This remains the same - the field at Mother McAuley is loaded again this year.
The ASICS Challenge, formerly the Nike Challenge, gets under way Friday at Chicago's Mother McAuley High School.
Six of the top 20 teams in the country, according to the latest PrepVolleyball.com rankings, will be at McAuley this weekend including unbeaten St. Francis (No. 8) and Joliet Catholic (No. 3).
Out-of-state powers coming in for the two-day event include No. 10 Assumption from Louisville, No. 13 Plant from Tampa, No. 16 Sacred Heart from Louisville and No. 19 Mira Costa from Manhattan Beach, Calif.
Downers Grove North and Downers Grove South are other DuPage County teams at the event. Sandburg and Marist are other top Illinois teams present.
The tournament figures to provide St. Francis' stiffest test to date - and probably all season until an expected Class 3A sectional final match with Joliet Catholic.
"When you have talent on the outside like they do with Kelsey Robinson and Meg Vonderhaar," said John Tawa, editor of PrepVolleyball.com, "you can hang with anybody. Them and (setter Kristen) Kelsay make St. Francis a formidable team. Do they have what it takes to win? Absolutely.
"In a best three-out-of-five match that many states play the stronger team usually prevails. But in best two-out-of-three anything can happen. A very good team can catch lightning in a bottle."
If you prefer thunder, look no further than Mira Costa's Falyn Fonoimoana. The 6-foot-3 senior outside, who is committed to attend USC, is the No. 1 player in the country, according to PrepVolleyball.com.
By a long shot.
"She's the most impressive talent I've seen in 10 years covering volleyball," Tawa said. "She's scary good. At any tournament, you'll say 'there's nobody like that where I'm from.' "
Wild about their Wildcats: As the DuPage Valley Conference season reaches its halfway point, no surprise that last year's co-champions Naperville North (5-1 in DVC) and Naperville Central (4-2) are atop the heap again.
But West Chicago?
Yes, the young Wildcats are co-leaders with Naperville North heading into a showdown in Naperville tonight.
West Chicago (13-4, 5-1) is the area's most pleasant surprise. Winless two years ago and 5-30 in 2008, the Wildcats are in the hunt for their first DVC title in coach Kris Hasty's 16-year tenure.
Super sophomore outside Julia Conard, middles Emily Paschke and Kathy Fletcher and what one opposing coach called "a great defense" are big reasons why.
"When we're on," Hasty said, "we can look awesome offensively."
Fans in West Chicago are taking notice.
"The fans are excited, parents are excited - it creates a nice buzz at the school," Hasty said.
Three-game wins over Wheaton North, West Aurora and Glenbard East tested the Wildcats' mettle. Beating Wheaton Warrenville South stretched a winning streak to 12. The Wildcats were brought down to earth Thursday, losing at home to Naperville Central 25-14, 25-12.
"It was a good wake-up call," Hasty said. "(Tonight) against Naperville North will be a true test. Are we of their caliber? We know that we have to prove ourselves over and over again."
Redhawks take flight: When you win two of the last four state championships, it's hard to be overlooked.
That said, you couldn't blame folks for selling Naperville Central short after a 2-7 start.
Look at those Redhawks now.
A 6-2 stretch with two-game wins over DVC co-leaders Naperville North and West Chicago, both on the road, has the Redhawks in the thick of the conference race.
Coach Brie Isaacson credits a balanced DVC for testing, and improving, her girls on a nightly basis.
"We have put in a lot of practice time this season," Isaacson said, "which has always been important to me. Each and every day we are getting better."
Senior Nicole Sarby has grown into a bigger offensive threat, and libero Courtney Abrahamovich and DS Mary Pollard have jump-started the Redhawks offense with crisp passing.
"And our defense has improved greatly," Isaacson said. "We're still not digging to target, but we are getting more touches. That is allowing us to win longer rallies."
A special night: For the second year, Illinois high schools are hosting Volley for the Cure nights, with proceeds going toward the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation dedicated to education and research.
Two weeks ago Waubonsie Valley and Neuqua Valley hosted an event. In the coming weeks Volley for the Cure events will be held at West Chicago (Oct. 8), Wheaton North (Oct. 8), Glenbard North (Oct. 13), Lisle (Oct. 20) and Hinsdale Central (Oct. 22).
On Tuesday, Oct. 6, WW South and Naperville Central are partnering in the event for the second time. The two schools already have raised over $10,000 just in pink T-shirts sold. The 6 p.m. match held at Naperville Central will also have a 50/50 raffle and silent auction. Among the items donated are gift cards to BD's Mongolian Barbecue and Sullivan's Steakhouse, as well as autographed Candace Parker jerseys.
"It's for a great cause - this is life, not volleyball," Isaacson said. "We took a step in the right direction last year, but it doesn't even hold a candle to what we've been able to do this year. As a program, it's a great opportunity to give back."