Girls volleyball/Scouting Fox Valley sectionals
Class 4A Prairie Ridge sectional
Today’s semifinal matchups: Cary-Grove (32-4) vs. DeKalb (27-6), 6 p.m.; Huntley (30-7) vs. Hononegah (24-9), 7 p.m.
Championship: Semifinal winners meet for the title Thursday at 7 p.m.
How they got here: Cary-Grove d. McHenry 25-12, 25-11 and Prairie Ridge 25-18, 25-17 to win the Grant regional; DeKalb d. Larkin 25-8, 25-19 and South Elgin 25-7, 26-24 to win the Elgin regional; Huntley d. Dundee-Crown 25-11, 25-12 and Barrington 25-18, 13-25, 25-17 to win the Dundee-Crown regional; Hononegah d. Jefferson 25-8, 25-4 and Guilford 23-25, 25-12, 25-20 to win the Guilford regional.
Outlook: Hononegah and DeKalb can’t be counted out, but fans of girls volleyball in the Fox Valley are anticipating a rematch between rivals Huntley and Cary-Grove for the sectional final. Huntley ended Cary-Grove’s 61-match regular-season winning streak with a come-from-behind victory Sept. 20. However, the Red Raiders subsequently lost Fox Valley Conference Valley Division matches to Prairie Ridge and Jacobs, then lost the rematch at Cary-Grove on Oct. 13, which allowed Cary-Grove to clinch its third straight title. The Trojans are the defending state runner-up in Class 4A and seek their third straight trip to Redbird Arena. They are led by senior outside hitters Ashley Rosch (Illinois State) and Melanie Jereb (Creighton). Rosch saw significant playing time for Cary-Grove’s state title team in 2009. Junior setter Jess Bartczyszyn wore a protective mask over her broken nose in the regional final and managed 17 assists. The Trojans have been getting strong play in the middle from senior Sheila Wilhelmi (6-foot-1) and junior Mallory Wilczynski (6-2). The defense is anchored by libero Nicole Schuh. Huntley is led by outside hitter Sam Boesch (Wake Forest) and libero Amy Dion (Maryland). Eli Manning sets a diverse offense that also includes scoring options Jaina Jackson in the middle and Ashley Smith on the outside. Smith, a four-year varsity performer, led the Red Raiders with 13 kills in the regional title victory over Barrington. This is the third trip to a sectional in three years for Huntley. The Red Raiders reached the sectional title match in 2008 and 2009 only to lose to conference rivals Crystal Lake South and Cary-Grove, respectively. Hononegah is led by hitter Victoria Quantanilla, who finished with 16 kills in the regional title win over Guilford. DeKalb’s Courtney Bemis and Emily Bemis each notched 6 kills in the regional title win over South Elgin. The Barbs are champions of the Northern Illinois Big 12 Conference.
Advancement: The winner of the Prairie Ridge sectional advances to the Lake Zurich supersectional to face the winner of the Buffalo Grove sectional Saturday at 7 p.m. Totday’s matchups at Buffalo Grove: Lake Forest (31-5) vs. Lake Zurich (26-11), 6 p.m.; Stevenson (29-8) vs. Hersey (31-5), 7 p.m.
Class 2A Winnebago sectional
Today’s semifinal matchups: St. Edward (21-13) vs. Lena-Winslow, 6 p.m.; Guerin (18-12) vs. Timothy Christian (33-3-1), 7 p.m.
Championship: Semifinal winners meet for the title Thursday at 7 p.m.
How they got here: St. Edward d. North Boone 25-11, 25-7 and Winnebago 28-26, 16-25, 25-18 and Rockford Lutheran 25-23, 25-15 to win the South Beloit regional; Lena-Winslow d. West Carroll 25-18, 25-16 and Byron 25-21, 25-21 to win the Lena-Winslow regional; Guerin d. Christian Liberty Academy 25-20, 23-25, 25-13 to win the Christian Liberty Academy regional; Timothy Christian d. Aurora Central Catholic 25-21, 25-13 and Immaculate Conception 25-23, 25-23 to win the Westmont regional.
Outlook: Timothy Christian enters as the team to beat. The Trojans have won 30 straight matches. Their last loss was Sept. 3 vs. Immaculate Conception, a defeat they avenged en route to their first regional title since 2006. The balanced Timothy Christian attack is led by sophomore setter Jenna Lodewyk, who had 20 assists in the regional title match victory over Aurora Central Catholic. Timothy is a young team with freshmen Hanna Markewycz and Kacie Stoll (middle) in the lineup. Likewise, St. Edward has its share of youth. Seniors Katie Ayello, Callie Johnson and Sarah Norman lead a St. Edward roster that includes seven talented sophomores. The Green Wave won a regional title as a No. 5 seed. Sophomore Katie Swanson led the Green Wave with 8 kills and sophomore Allison Kruk made 17 digs in the regional title win over Rockford Lutheran. St. Edward won the 13th regional title in school history and the fifth since coach Jaime Dovichi arrived in 2004. The Green Wave seek their fifth sectional title. They finished fourth in the state in 2004 and third in 2008. Coach Sue Amendt guided Lena-Winslow to the 18th regional title in school history with a win over Byron. Guerin junior Sara Brodner led the Gators to the program’s second regional title with 8 kills and 3 aces in the title match against Woodlands Academy. Junior middle Alex Bojan had 5 kills.
Advancement: The winner of the Winnebago sectional advances to the Lisle supersectional to play the winner of the Chicago Christian sectional Saturday at 7 p.m. Today’s matchups at Chicago Christian: Chicago Noble Street Charter vs. Cristo Rey Jesuit, 6 p.m.; Gordon Tech vs. Chicago Christian, 7 p.m.