Redhawks drop Huskies for first Mizuno crown
As if reaching the championship match in St. Charles East's Mizuno Cup girls volleyball tournament wasn't thrilling enough, rivals Naperville Central and Naperville North got to play one another in the two-day tournament.
The thrill was just a lot better for the Redhawks, as they won the 24-team tournament for the first time by beating the Huskies 25-14, 25-17 Saturday.
"The thing I was most proud about with my team is that we played all five matches consistent," Naperville Central coach Brie Isaacson said. "I think that says a lot. I think that was the difference in the end.
"To be in the finals, to be in the top four, we came in as a seventh seed. To be in the top half of the Gold (Division) was exciting."
The Redhawks improved to 22-4 with wins against Bloomington and Neuqua Valley. Naperville North improved to 23-3 after topping Joliet Catholic and Belleville Althoff.
"Overall, I am very, very pleased with the way we played," Naperville North coach Jennifer Urban said. "We had to beat four very good teams to get to the championship. Obviously, the outcome is not what we would have liked in the finals, but I am very pleased with the girls."
Third-place honors in the Gold Division went to Belleville Althoff, which topped Neuqua Valley, 25-22, 25-23. The Wildcats finished 2-3 in the tourney with their biggest win coming against Wheaton Warrenville South in the first match of the day.
"It's disappointing, only because we fell a little short," Neuqua Valley coach Kelly Simon said. "It's the best finish we've ever had in this tournament … we've never been in the Gold Division.
"This is the best of the best. This is a great tournament and there are so many great teams here. We are still working on playing our best, and that hasn't happened yet. But we are getting closer."
Joliet Catholic took fifth with a win over Wheaton Warrenville South, 25-23, 25-13. The Tigers are now 22-3.
"There's still some things we need to work on," WW South coach Bill Schreier said. "It's early October, not November. I think we need to work hard, and we will continue to work hard … we got stuck in a rotation against Joliet Catholic. It's going to happen. Now we know what we need to work on."
Incarnate Word beat Bloomington in three games for seventh place.
The four top teams in the Tri-Cities area placed in the Silver Division. Rosary (22-5) won it with a 25-19, 25-20 win against St. Charles East, which beat them earlier this season. The Royals beat Hinsdale South and Geneva earlier in the day.
"(Finishing) 4-1 (in the tournament) is not bad," Rosary coach Lisa Kasper said. "We came back and beat St. Charles East fairly well, considering they beat us last time, so that was a nice little payback."
The Saints are now 19-8 with wins over Lincoln-Way Central and Muskego.
"We are very happy (with 10th place)," St. Charles East assistant coach Mike Bui said. (Bui was filling in for head coach Jennie Kull). "I think with the competition here, the team played up to the challenge and did very well this weekend. We played aggressive, and I thought we did a great job."
Muskego beat Geneva 25-19, 25-13 in the 11th-place game. The Vikings are 19-7.
"This was a good weekend for us," Geneva coach KC Johnsen said. "It challenged us well. The teams that beat us were all very good teams. We would have liked to win a match here and there, but these were very good teams."