Scouting Fox Valley area Class 3A/4A regionals

Class 4A Geneva sectional

St. Charles North regional

The matchups: No. 13 Wheaton North vs. No. 19 Lake Park, Thurs. at 5:30 p.m.; No. 5 St. Charles North vs. No. 12 Glenbard West, Thurs., at 6:30 p.m.; No. 4 Bartlett vs. Wheaton North-Lake Park winner, Thurs. at 7:30 p.m.

Outlook: Bartlett (22-11) is the fourth seed in the 20-team Geneva sectional and the highest seed at the St. Charles North regional, where the Hawks could well face the host North Stars (19-10) in the title match if seeds hold. Bartlett is seeking its first girls volleyball regional title. The North Stars won regional titles in Class AA in 2005 and 2007. The Upstate Eight Conference teams squared off in the league opener on Sept. 8, a match St. Charles North won 25-22, 25-20. Bartlett, led by Tennessee-bound senior outside hitter Carly Sahagian, a four-year starter, led both games before the North Stars rallied to sweep. "We'd like to get another chance with St. Charles North," Hawks coach Brandon Mueller said. Sahagian, who had 12 kills in that match has 422 kills this season, needs help from her teammates to offset the balanced North Stars. Bartlett defeated Lake Park twice this season, including a 3-game match last weekend at the Lake Park Invite.

Advancement: The winner will advance to Geneva to play the winner of the Schaumburg regional on Tues, Nov. 3 at 6 p.m.

Class 4A Huntley sectional

Larkin regional

The matchups: No. 1 Elgin (10-21) vs. No. 4 Larkin (2-28), Thurs. at 6 p.m.; No. 2 South Elgin (13-18) vs. No. 3 Streamwood (4-25), Thurs. at 7 p.m.; Regional title match, Sat. at 1 p.m.

Outlook: This regional is wide open. Any of the four District U-46 schools could win as each enters the postseason with a sub-.500 record. Top seed Elgin has beaten each of its three rivals this season, but Streamwood recently upended the Maroons in a 3-game match on its Senior Night and South Elgin swept the Maroons at the Elgin Invite last week. Elgin and Larkin square off in the first semifinal. Led by four-year starter and two-year captain Lindsey Hedl and setter Abbey Houde, the Maroons pulled away from a 22-22 tie in Game 3 to defeat Larkin on Sept 29. "I think we have what it takes to be the best team and come out on top," Elgin coach Keith Foster said. "Our No. 1 concern right now is limiting our errors. That's really what it will come down to. We're a strong serving team and we're certainly the best passing team in the regional, so we can rely heavily on that." Larkin, led by senior middle blocker Stacie Beaver, has defeated only East Aurora and Maine West this season. But besides pushing Elgin to a third game, the Royals also lost a close match Streamwood in 3 games. "We have the potential to beat any team in our regional," Larkin coach Gail Ortiz said. "We just need to come out and play tough and learn from the mistakes we made that last time against Elgin." South Elgin, led by four-year middle blocker Alyssa Krause, seeks its first regional semifinal victory in program history against the Sabres. South Elgin beat Streamwood and senior middle blocker Melissa Oehlerking twice this season. "If we play the way we can, the regional title is in our sites," South Elgin coach Joni Melahn said. "The winner of the regional will be the team that comes in with the most focus." Larkin last won a girls volleyball regional title in 2001, Elgin in 1994 and Streamwood in 1988. South Elgin has yet to win a regional title.

Advancement: The winner will advance to Huntley to face the winner of the Barrington regional on Tues., Nov. 3 at 6 p.m.

Barrington regional

The matchups: No. 1 Cary-Grove (31-4) vs. No. 4 Dundee-Crown (9-24), Thurs. at 6 p.m.; No. 2 Barrington (15-19) vs. No. 3 Jacobs (12-22), Thurs. at 7 p.m.; Regional title match, Sat. at 1 p.m.

Outlook: Favorite Cary-Grove will try to win the seventh regional title in school history. Led by senior setter Abbey Heredia (Jacksonville St.), powerful junior hitter Kelly Lamberti, junior right-side hitter Colleen Smith (Indiana) and emerging senior hitter Kayla Klinger, the Trojans swept to the Fox Valley (Valley) title and have not lost to a team from Illinois this season. "It's doable," said Cary-Grove coach Patty Langanis, who won her 400th match this season. "We need to make sure we stay focused every point of every game, of every match. It's definitely a regional we feel confident we can win, but we're going to take it one point at a time." Dundee-Crown's top point scorer is senior outside hitter Alyssa Sarrazine. Jacobs, led by junior outside hitter Taylor Lesner, freshman outside Alyssa Ehrhardt, junior setter Quinn Luehring and senior middle blocker Brittany White, lost to Barrington earlier this season at Mother McAuley. "They beat us but we didn't lose too badly," Jacobs coach Lisa Dwyer said. "The scores were pretty close. I think it's going to be a good match."

Advancement: The winner will advance to Huntley to face the winner of the Larkin regional on Tues., Nov. 3 at 6 p.m.

Crystal Lake South regional

The matchups: No. 1 Crystal Lake South (23-7) vs. No. 4 Grant (12-23), Thurs. at 6 p.m.; No. 2 Huntley (26-9) vs. No. 3 McHenry (21-12), Thurs. at 7 p.m.; Regional title match, Sat. at 1 p.m.

Outlook: Three 20-win teams from the Valley Division of the Fox Valley Conference make this a strong regional. The Gators have home court advantage but remain wary of their up-and-coming league brethren. CL South swept McHenry twice in league play. The Gators, who are paced by senior outside hitter Caitlin Schumacher's 187 kills and 510 assists by junior setter Chelsea Sirovatka, swept Huntley on Sept. 22. However, the sophomore-centric Red Raiders returned the favor on Oct. 15. "This year the Fox Valley has really come along in volleyball and nobody is an easy out," CL South coach Jorie Fontana said. "It's exciting. There is a little bit of history there and the girls are invested in it as opposed to saying 'Where's this team from again?' They're preparing knowing it's going to be a battle." Huntley would relish the opportunity to face the Gators for a third time in the title match. "We have to get through McHenry first," Red Raiders coach Michelle Jakubowski said. "McHenry's a very good team. Hopefully, we'll be lucky enough to win it. If you win this regional, you'll be able to say you worked for it. Nothing's going to be handed to you this year." Huntley is led by senior setter Amanda Carroll (585 assists), sophomore libero Amy Dion (380 digs) and sophomore outside hitter Ashley Smith (287 kills).

Advancement: The winner will advance to Huntley to face the winner of the winner of the Rockford Auburn regional on Tues., Nov. 3 at 7 p.m.

Class 3A Rochelle sectional

Burlington Central regional

The matchups: No. 4 Kaneland (11-14) vs. No. 5 DeKalb, Thurs., at 5:30 p.m.; No. 2 Burlington Central (26-8) vs. No. 3 Sycamore (29-5) Thurs., at 6:30 p.m.; No. 1 Hampshire (32-4) vs. Kaneland-DeKalb winner Thurs., at 7:30 p.m.; Regional title match Saturday at 7 p.m.

Outlook: This is one of the toughest Class 3A regionals in the state. Hampshire reached the Class 2A state title match two seasons ago behind setter Kara Wehrs and outside hitter Amy Wehrs, now seniors bound for Kansas. Burlington Central spiker Stephanie Holthus (Northwestern) was the leading hitter for the Rockets when they reached the Class 3A state title match last year. Sycamore finished third in the state in Class 3A in 2007 and has 29 victories this year. DeKalb pushed Sycamore to a third game twice this season. "We have four or five really top teams in one regional," Burlington Central coach Marv Leavitt said. "If they seeded the whole sectional and divided the top teams, I bet four of the top (seeds) would be from our regional with Hampshire, us, Sycamore and DeKalb, who is very good. It's just a really tough regional. There are going to be some really good teams going home." Central and Sycamore did not play during the regular season. The Rockets defeated Sycamore in a regional final last season, 25-13, 25-23. The Spartans and junior setter Jill Johnson will try to counter Holthus (417 kills, 92 aces) with senior outside hitter Brittany Olson and junior middle blocker Evyn McCoy. If it beats Kaneland, DeKalb and junior outside hitter Courtney Thomas will face off against Hampshire, which reached a Class 3A sectional final last season. Hampshire defeated DeKalb in a 3-game match this season. If Hampshire wins and Burlington Central gets past Sycamore, the Big Northern-East co-champions would meet for the third time this season. They split two matches this season, most recently a Central 25-19, 25-18 victory that earned the Rockets a share of their third straight league title. "Hopefully, the loss to Burlington will motivate them," Hampshire coach Karen Whitehouse said of her team. "There should be some great competition. The team that wins will be the one that comes out and plays consistently." Said Leavitt: "We played really well against Hampshire, but you have to be playing well that night. It's not a matter of what you did in the past. It's a matter of what you do that night."

Advancement: The winner will advance to Rochelle to play the winner of the Geneseo regional on Tues., Nov. 3 at 7 p.m.