Scouting the Cook County boys volleyball postseason

When: Regional play begins Monday at 32 sites state-wide with finals Wednesday. Sectional semifinals are Friday, May 28 with finals June 1. The Elite Eight is June 4-5 at Hoffman Estates High School.

What to watch: The burning question is - can Wheaton-Warrenville South continue its record setting streak for another season? The Tigers have won three consecutive state championships and 5 of the last 6, but they will be tested at the Glenbard East sectional by rival St. Francis - which has lost only 3 times all season. The two schools are seeded 1-2 in Lombard and should face off for the right to travel to Hoffman for the state finals. Morton, seeded first at its own sectional, will face tough challenges from Lyons and Brother Rice, while Lake Park and Fremd are the top teams in a difficult St. Charles East sectional. Top seeded Sandburg should fight it out with sectional host Marist for the state tourney advancement, while Buffalo Grove (first seed at Palatine), Neuqua Valley (favorites as sectional hosts), Oak Park-River Forest (No. 1 at Whitney Young) should take on all challenges and move on. But the teams who do advance will face a formidable challenge - the elephant in the room, Maine South, which is expected qualify for a state trip out of the Evanston sectional. The Hawks, last year's state runner-up and ranked No. 1 this year, is undefeated and on a mission to reclaim the title they took in a upset win in 2006. Locally, Prospect and Palatine should test BG at the Pirates' sectional, while Barrington, Rolling Meadows and Schaumburg look for upsets at St. Charles East. Conant, Elk Grove, Hoffman Estates and Maine West will compete in the Saints tourney, while Hersey, St. Viator and Wheeling play in the Palatine sectional and Leyden squares off at Glenbard East.