Girls volleyball: Scouting the MSL title game
Girls volleyball: Scouting the MSL title game
What: 42nd annual Mid-Suburban League girls volleyball championship
Who: Schaumburg (21-12, 9-1) at Hersey (24-5, 10-0)
When: Thursday, 7 p.m. (all-conference players honored at 6:20 p.m.)
How they got here: Hersey won the MSL East title with a 10-0 record for the fifth time in six seasons. The Huskies' only loss in their last 63 MSL matches was to Elk Grove (25-23, 22-25, 25-21, last year). Schaumburg's only loss in the MSL West was in two games (25-21, 25-20) at Palatine in its sixth conference match of the season.
History: The first MSL match was played in 1973 and coincidentally the two teams were Hersey and Schaumburg (the Saxons won).
Hersey has since played in 19 title matches, 18 under current coach Nancy Lill, who won her 800th match in 2012. The Huskies have won 10 crowns (9 under Lill), including four of the last six. They have won the East the last 12 seasons. Schaumburg has appeared in eight title matches, the last in 2010 when the Saxons lost to Hersey. Schaumburg has won five championship matches, including three in a row under Pancratz from 1991 to 1993.
Hersey roster: Joslyn Kerman (5-9 Sr. OH), Caity Strozewski (5-11 Sr. S), Kelly Hill (5-9 Sr. OH), Paige Pazzanno (5-5 Jr. L), Dani Havel (5-3 Jr. L), Maggie Reisel (5-4 So. S), Katie Rozanski (5-11 Jr. MB), Zoe Strozewski (6-1 So. MB), Kira Busse (5-7 Sr. DS), Courtney Stedman (5-10 Sr. S), Kaylie Jacobson (5-11 Sr. MB), Liz Fuerst (5-10 Jr. OH), Gabri Olhava (6-0 Sr. MH)
Schaumburg roster: Hannah Moore (5-4 Sr. L), Sam Krug (5-9 Sr. MB), Abbie Rahn (5-11 Jr. OH), Jada Blackwell (5-10 Sr. S-RS), Lexi Ross (5-6 Jr. MB-OH), Oyinkan Akinola (5-10 Sr. OH), Katherine Coombs (5-11 Jr. MB), Mallory Gerber (5-11 So. OH), Megan Hayes (5-6 Sr. S), Lauren LaVigne (5-4, Jr. DS), Morgan Sterrett (5-8 Fr. OH)
Coaching staffs: Hersey coach Nancy Lill is assisted by Jodi Blazek, Amy Barfield, Bob Brown and Ben Chin. Lil has won 859 wins in 30 seasons (27 at Hersey and three at Wheeling). Schaumburg coach Jeanette Pancratz is assisted by Eric Melton, Jenny Farinella, Jeff O'Brien, Ellen Abreau and Jason Mitchell. Pancratz has won 783 matches, of which 575 have been at Schaumburg the last 26 seasons (the others at Resurrection).
Homecourt advantage: The match switches back and forth each year between the East and West site. Last year, it was played at Barrington (West champion) so this year the East champ Huskies will host at their Ken Carter Gymnasium.
Tough loss: Schaumburg outside hitter Abbie Rahn injured bones in her hand in the first match of the Saxon Invite on Oct. 11 and will not play. She has been the Saxons' No. 2 hitter behind Fairfield-bound Oyinkan Akinola. "Unfortunately Abbie (Rahn) will not be playing," said Hersey coach Nancy Lill. "But Schaumburg earned its way into this match and we're excited to play them."
First meeting: The two teams met on Sept. 20 for the championship of the Hersey Invite. The Huskies came out on top 25-21, 25-12. "The first time we played them they were missing a good player in Jada Blackwell," said Hersey coach Nancy Lill. "We can't be comfortable with what we did that match," said the Huskies Gabri Olhava. "We've got to come out even stronger than those two sets that we played against them. We are going to have to execute."
What the coaches are sayingLill's view on Saxons: "Jeanette (Pancratz) does a wonderful job with the program. Oyinkan (Akinola) is one of the best hitters around and she can dominate a match. They have a nice libero and good setting. They are a solid team and we are excited to have the opportunity to represent the MSL East and play on our home court."
Pancratz's view on Huskies: "Hersey is a strong team. They play fast and they are powerful. They are certainly well-coached and disciplined in what they do. They obviously bring it at you and we look forward to the challenge."
What the players are sayingAkinola's view on Huskies: "I'm glad we were able to get a rematch," said Akinola, who has verbally committed Fairfield University in Connecticut. "They're a great team. I just feel if we stay focused and disclipined that we can play with them."
Olhava's view on the Saxons: "They've got some good hitters," said Olhava, a New Hampshire recruit. "It's unfortunate about Abbie (Rahn, who is injured). But I'm sure they'll come up with a good offensive attack."
- John Leusch