37th Mid-Suburban League volleyball championship
Where: Fremd High School
When: 7 p.m. today (all-conference selections will be announced at 6:30 p.m.)
Who: East champion Hersey (27-2, 10-0) vs. West champion Fremd (20-8, 7-3)
The history: The first title match was in 1973 when Schaumburg defeated Hersey. Barrington has the most championship match wins with nine, followed by Hersey (7), Palatine (6), Rolling Meadows (6), Schaumburg (5), Prospect (2) and Forest View (1).
The road to the title match: For the second straight season, Hersey won all of its matches in the East by two games, its closest call a 25-23, 25-23 triumph over Prospect for win No. 10. Six of Fremd's seven wins were in two games (its seventh win was in three over Hoffman Estates). The Vikings lost twice to Palatine and once at Barrington.
The casts: Hersey starts Maddie Swan (6-foot senior middle hitter), Katie Lill (5-10 senior outside hitter), Christina Solans (5-8 junior outside hitter), Jamie Welter (5-11 senior middle hitter), Joanna Hoffman (5-8 senior setter), Becca Haraf (5-5 senior libero) and Kristen Pedersen (6-1 sophomore right side hitter).
Key players off the bench: Alicia Witte (5-7 senior defensive specialist Jenni Mueller (5-6 junior defensive specialist).
Fremd starts Colleen Andersen (senior outside hitter) Kayla Price (junior setter), Alex Messner (junior outside hitter), Elizabeth Dotson (senior middle hitter), Tess Dinterman (senior middle hitter) and Lena Brottman (senior libero).
Key players off the bench: Allison Grzesik (senior defensive specialist), Rebecca Bagg (junior defensive specialist), Melanie Arns (senior outside hitter), Jessie Wiedemann (sophomore outside hitter).
The directors: Hersey is coached by Nancy Lill, one of the winningest coaches in Illinois with a 708-224 record. Lill has also won 13 MSL division titles, 5 MSL crowns, 6 supersectionals and second-, third- and fourth-place state trophies in 26 seasons.
"Kayla Price is an excellent setter for Fremd," Lill said. "She makes such a difference. She makes everyone on the team better. We have a lot of respect for her and she has a lot of options to go to because they are so balanced. It will be a fun match. It always is when we play Fremd."
Fremd coach Curt Pinley has won 226 matches in his 12 seasons. He also guided the Vikings to 4 regional crowns and a sectional title, only the second in school history, last fall.
"I think we are going to have to play consistent," Pinley said. "At times, we have been a little inconsistent. If we make them have to play defense all the time, the deeper into the games we can get, the better chance we have to win.
"If we lose contact with them early in the games, that's when we struggle."
Setting it up: Senior Joanna Hoffman sets a 5-1 offense for Hersey while junior Kayla Price does the same for Fremd.
"We've got to play exceptional defense because that's what wins matches," Hoffman said. "We have a big block, so as long as that continues to be strong, we should be OK."
Price, only a junior, has verbally committed to Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
"We have to keep up our energy and stay positive," she said. "I think it will be a close match and a fun match. A lot of us know their players so that makes it fun."
Final word: Hersey's Katie Lill: "We have a lot of motivation because they ended our season last year (at Barrington sectional championship). We are going to have to pick up tips. And we want to get up early in the games. This is one of my favorite matches because so many fans come and players from the other teams. It's awesome and hopefully we can win another."
Fremd senior Tess Dinterman: "The big thing for us is staying confident and consistent. A lot of times we will crush a team in the first game, then lose the second by 10 points. We have to stay positive and consistent through the entire match. It will be the last home match for our seniors, so it will be exciting."
- John Leusch