Girls water polo
Mid-Suburban League girls championship
Who: Wheeling (18-4) at Fremd (22-3)
When: Wednesday, 6 p.m.
Scouting report: These two teams met in early March, and Fremd came away with a decisive 12-7 victory. But Wheeling has made significant lineup changes since then and believes at the very least it can provide a tougher test for the Vikings. Fremd, meanwhile, also seems to have improved. The Vikings beat Mundelein last week and lost by 2 goals at No. 4-ranked Naperville Central on Thursday, all of which boosted Fremd to a season-best ranking of No. 9 in the most recent poll by illpolo.com. Wheeling's most recent test against an elite team also went well - the Wildcats lost 10-7 against No. 3 Lyons last Saturday and are now ranked No. 22 in the state. The Wildcats feel like they can play any tempo and certainly have one of the top defenses in the area, led by defensive hole set Emily Sullivan and goalkeeper Kaitlynn Webb. Wheeling fields a full complement of talented, experienced players, including Liseli Baich, Amy Wilson, Christa Khatcherian. Fremd counters with what is clearly the area's most potent offensive attack featuring standout scorers Allison McCarthy and Erika Lauraitis. Whatever happens here, it will likely be the last time these teams see one another - Fremd is the top seed in the Barrington sectional, while Wheeling has drawn the No. 3 slot in the Vernon Hills sectional.
- Aaron Gabriel