Neuqua Valley leads the charge into 'Christine's Battle'

No matter the winner, it will be a special night of volleyball Wednesday at Neuqua Valley.

The host Wildcats and Hinsdale South are teaming up for a fundraiser "Christine's Battle - Coming Together for Chris," to support Christine Federico, mom of Neuqua senior Nikki.

Federico was diagnosed earlier this year with Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS), what some call an early stage of leukemia, and needs a bone marrow transplant. Funds from Wednesday's event will go toward defraying the cost of that operation.

T-shirts reading "CFED" on the front and "Let the Battle Begin" on the back will be sold, as will wristbands that read "Christine's Soldiers."

A raffle with items ranging from Blackhawks merchandise to XBox games will be held. Anyone donating $5 or more will receive a Christine Federico signed volleyball.

Neuqua players already raised more than $900 collecting donations at last Friday's football game.

"People have just crawled out of the woodwork to support this," Neuqua coach Kelly Simon said. "It's wonderful."

Christine Federico's significance to Simon is great.

Federico starred at Illinois State while Simon was at Normal U-High. Simon called Federico "her role model."

Christine Federico has served as a volunteer assistant at Neuqua since Nikki's freshman year on the varsity team. Federico also has coached club at Sports Performance with Hinsdale South coch Lisa Jablonski.

"She has such a passionate spirit about everything she does, a huge heart and unbelievable faith in kids," Simon said. "She continues to be a role model as a mom and another coach to learn from."

Simon also marveled at the year Nikki has. Both off the court, taking on a much greater responsibility in her household, and on the court for Neuqua.

"That drive, that passion has really come out in Nikki this year," Simon said. "I'm seeing that drive and conviction that was always in her. I've seen flashes before, but this year it's been consistent."

All in the Huskie family: Jennifer Urban feels fortunate to have two fresh faces in the Naperville North program this fall. New to the coaching staff, yes. But very familiar.

Courtney Ashley, a 2003 Naperville North graduate who later played outside at Loyola, and 2005 grad Lizzie Bazzetta, the setter on Urban's first team who later played at Illinois, both are aboard this fall.

Ashley, who substitute teaches at Naperville North, is in her third year coaching. This is Bazzetta's first.

"It's been so rewarding," Urban said, "for our players to have two alums in the gym that understand the tradition of volleyball at North and have a great deal of passion for coming to practice every day."

Bazzetta never thought she would get the coaching bug. But this has allowed her to re-connect with former teammate Ashley and her old coach. Bazzetta is in the midst of planning to resume her studies to become a physician's assistant. She also has her sights set on playing profesionally in Europe next year, ideally in Italy.

"It's been fun coaching, to apply the things that I've learned to these girls," Bazzetta said.

Add in Urban, who played at Waubonsie Valley and later Northern Illinois, and JV coach Caitlin Callaghan, who did so at Benet and DePaul, and you have a wealth of know-how on the bench.

"We're always bouncing ideas off each other," Urban said, "It keeps everything fresh and fast-moving."

You look so familiar: If seeds shake down as expected, host Benet and Hinsdale Central could meet for the third time in the Benet Invitational championship this weekend.

The two have split the first two meetings, Hinsdale Central taking the Willowbrook Invitational final and Benet returning the favor in the Wheaton Classic championship.

And don't be surprised if the Redwings and Red Devils are No. 1 and No. 2 (in some order) when Class 4A sectional seeds are determined later this week.

Round 4, perhaps?

"By the time you've played a team that many times," said Benet coach Brad Baker, who met Naperville Central three times last year, "there are no secrets. Everybody knows what everybody's doing. It comes down to who executes best. It sure makes for high drama."

The Redwings will have to go this weekend without Alyson Farm, out two weeks with a stress fracture. Filling the void will be Jenna Jendryk and Lara Ontko.

Benet has lost just once since Hinsdale Central beat the Redwings the first weekend of the season. That loss was to Joliet Catholic, who many consider the best team in Illinois.

Baker credits the work of junior Kaitlyn King for picking up her and the team's game.

"We've tried to speed up our offense," Baker said, "and that puts a lot on her shoulders. She's taken it on. Besides JCA we haven't been challenged a lot lately. This weekend will be a good test to see how far we've come."