Girls volleyball: Fremd, Carmel, St. Viator, Libertyville head into postseason as sectional favorites

The race to CECFU Arena at Illinois State University for the IHSA girls volleyball state finals begins next week.

Cook and Lake County teams will be competing at six different sectionals, hoping for that final destination of Normal on the weekend of Nov. 14-15.

Here is a look at those sectionals which commence with regional play-in matches on Monday.

Class 4A

Barrington sectional: The host Fillies (22-12 at start of the week) are seeking a fifth MSL crown since 2019 on Thursday and then looking forward to making a postseason run.

They would love to reach the sectional to play on their home floor.

The Fillies are the second seed behind Fremd, which has enjoyed a 25-7 season (through Monday) under coach Pete Gavin.

"We’re thrilled to be hosting this year’s sectional and are hopeful for the opportunity to compete on our home court during the postseason," said Fillies coach Michelle Mayer, who believes the sectional is truly up for grabs.

Following No. 1 Fremd and No. 2 Barrington in seed order for the 18-team field are Palatine (26-6), Hersey (20-13), Stevenson (21-11), South Elgin (23-8), Lake Zurich (17-13), Buffalo Grove (12-15), Wheeling (23-10), Prospect (15-13), Rolling Meadows , Lake Park (11-22), Schaumburg (14-20), Elk Grove (14-15), Hoffman Estates (9-21), Conant (6-26), Elgin (6-26) and Larkin (2-27).

Top-seeded Fremd hosts its own regional, hosting the winner of Monday's play-in match between Conant and Elgin.

Conant first-year coach Brian Donlon says his team is working hard to prepare for a tough sectional in which his team opens against Elgin.

"We have played them once this year and had a very competitive match where we won 25-21, 25-19," he said. "We are looking forward to the challenge.

"There are many good top-end teams such as Barrington, Fremd, Hersey, Palatine, Stevenson and South Elgin that will be the teams to beat."

Leading the defense for the Cougars has been Ruhi Shah with 116 digs while Sienna McCarthy leads with 242 assists and Feyza Ertuck with 70 kills.

Wheeling, which has enjoyed a solid 23-10 season under coach Jason Kopkowski, takes on Lake Zurich in the other semifinal at Fremd.

No. 2 Barrington will start its postseason in the Buffalo Grove regional against the winner of Monday's play-in match between Hoffman Estates and Larkin.

The other semifinal will feature coach Tara Bracero's host Bison against Prospect who played very competitively in the MSL East including a win over top-seeded Fremd.

First-year Prospect coach Alaina Mowinski says it's been an exciting season for the Knights (15-13) who have bettered their record from a year ago. 

"We expect some good competition going into the sectional and exciting plays," she said. "We are hoping our girls can stay consistent and rise to the level of competition we may face."

BG took Barrington to three sets two times this fall.

"The teams in this sectional know each other well, and every match has been a battle," Mayer said. "We've secured impressive wins over Buffalo Grove (twice), Fremd, Stevenson, Hersey (twice), and Rolling Meadows (twice). Our only loss to a team in the sectional came in a hard-fought, three-set thriller against Fremd. We’re proud to be back in the MSL championship match (against Dan Gavin's Palatine Pirates on Thursday at 7 p.m.) and look forward to closing out the regular season on a strong note."

Hoffman Estates must defeat Larkin to face Barrington in the regional semifinal at Fremd.

"This sectional is very balanced and competitive," said Hawks coach Pat Moran. "So it will be a challenge across the board.

"Barrington is always a challenge given their history of postseason success. We have lost to them both times we played them, but we played tough and competed tough the most recent time we played them losing the first set 25-21 after leading most of the first set."

Moran said he just wants to see his team execute their game plan for each match.

"If we happen to face a talented team like Barrington it can be intimidating, so we need to make sure we are doing well at the things that we have complete control over like serving and defense,“ Moran said. "Barrington’s primary outside hitter (Kayln Brookbank) is one heck of a player, too, so we will need to do our best to slow her down. With every challenge comes an even greater opportunity so we are excited for the potential opportunity to compete against a great team."

The MSL West champ Pirates open in the Elk Grove regional against coach Pat Hennelly's host Grenadiers while the other semifinal features Rolling Meadows vs. South Elgin.

RM coach Jack Nickle also believes it is a very balanced sectional.

"There are a lot of strong teams who can compete," he said. "I don't think that once you get to the second round any teams will really be an easy out. Our goal is just to go out and play some of our best volleyball of the year."

"We know (South Elgin) has some really strong pin hitters and we're looking forward to the challenge of competing against them," Nickle said.

Hersey, champion of the Prospect Invite two weeks ago, competed well in the tough MSL East and the Huskies are familiar with many teams in this field, having played all the MSL teams plus Lake Park. They'll start in the Schaumburg regional against the host Saxons.

Hersey went three sets in two division losses to East champion Barrington.

"It's been a great season and the girls are playing well," said Huskies veteran coach Laura Gerber.

Schaumburg shouldn't be lacking confidence entering this sectional having finished second in their own invite with a 4-1 record. The Saxons have shown huge growth from last year's 5-30 finish.

"We are excited that the postseason is right around the corner," said first-year coach Adam Bloniarz. "We are hoping to compete for a regional championship."

Bloniarz says the road to the match will be tough as his team opens with Hersey in its preliminary match.

Saxons sophomore outside hitter Avery Duever has been an offensive powerhouse this season. She leads the team in aces (34) in 249 attempts (serving 89%) and leads the team in serve receive (1.85 on 365 attempts). She also leads the team in kills with 254 and is second on the team for blocks (18) and digs (197).

Senior setter and captain Katelynn Caldwell has run the entire offense this fall, collecting 535 assists, 184 digs, 11 blocks, 21 kills, and 16 aces (90%) heading into this week.

Glenbrook South sectional

Top-seeded in this sectional is Glenbrook North while the host school is No. 2. Maine South (No. 6), Maine West (11), Maine East (14) and Leyden (17) also are in the field.

Coach Jon Weiland's Hawks (19-9) have enjoyed a solid season, led by attacker Safia Orucevic (junior), Alex Galimski (sophomore) and Kiley Andrew (senior). They'll compete in the Evanston regional.

Maine West (9-20) has recently turned the corner and is playing better and more up to its potential according to coach Nora Feyerer. "However, we still have moments of inconsistency," Feyerer added.

The Warriors have lost twice to Glenbrook South this season and could meet the Titans again if they win their play-in match vs. Lane Tech. "Our goals are to win the first regional game, and hopefully compete for the regional championship," Feyerer said.

Maine East coach Rintu Phillip says the Blue Demons are really excited to be part of the Glenbrook South sectional.

"It’s always a competitive field with a lot of great programs and well-coached teams," Phillip said. "We know we’ll have to bring our best to compete. We’ve faced a few of these teams during the regular season and every match was a battle. There’s a lot of talent and depth across the board, so it’s tough to single out just one team to beat.

"Glenbrook South, DePaul College Prep, Glenbrook North and Loyola are always strong programs with great traditions, but honestly, anyone can make a run in this group if they play well."

Phillip said the Blue Demons' goal is to continue building on the progress they have made this season.

"Our group has worked incredibly hard, battled through some tough losses and really come together as a team," Phillip said. "We just want to keep playing our style of volleyball, compete with pride, and make the most of this postseason opportunity."

Emmett O'Keefe's Leyden Eagles are hoping to play competitive matches.

"Coming in as the 17th seed, we know we have our work cut out for us," O'Keefe. "We are currently 9-24 and believe that we will be able to be competitive in any round of the playoffs, but in order to win we will have to play excellent defense and have rock solid serve receive."

The Eagles went 3-0 after the seeds came out.

"Unfortunately, the seeding happened right at the end of a really challenging stretch of our schedule," O'Keefe said. "And we are hoping to top 10 wins for the season."

O'Keefe said Sarah Skorna has played well offensively lately, leading the team in kills in recent matches.

The Eagles have played Glenbrook North, Lane Tech, Niles North, Maine West, Maine East and Taft.

"We beat Taft after the seedings came out, and we lost to all of the other teams," O'Keefe said. "In my opinion, Glenbrook North is the team to beat in the sectional because they are so solid all the way around and have had such consistent success this season."

Hampshire sectional

Libertyville is the top seed in one sub-sectional followed by Mundelein (17-17), Warren (12-20), Jacobs (15-18), Grant (11-19), Waukegan (13-18), Dundee-Crown (15-17), McHenry (9-23), Zion-Benton (11-20) and Round Lake (3-23).

Libertyville coach Greg Loika brought the Wildcats into the final week of the regular season with a record of 26-7, including a recent two-set win over Carmel, the No. 1 seed in its own Class 3A sectional.

Hampshire (26-5) and Huntley (24-9) are the top two seeds in the other sub-sectional.

Class 3A

Carmel sectional

The host Corsairs (25-9) are the top seed in their own sub-sectional followed in order by Grayslake Central (22-10), Lakes (23-8), Vernon Hills (20-13), Wauconda (10-20), Antioch (10-23), Lake Forest (8-23), Grayslake North (9-18), Waukegan (13-18) and North Chicago (0-17).

"We are very excited at the opportunity to host the sectionals," said Carmel coach David Pazely. "We have hosted regionals in the past and it has always made for an exciting playoff environment. During a season where we are projected to compete for a sectional championship, it is something the team is really looking forward to."

The Corsairs have played most of the teams in the sub-sectional and have beaten each one.

They have faced Grayslake Central four times this season and are 3-1 against them — their only loss against any of the teams in our sub-sectional.

"We are familiar with their players and understand that they are capable of beating us if we aren't executing the way we should," Pazely said. "That pressure is always present when competing in the playoffs. Our players have learned to embrace that pressure and thrive in it. Lakes is another capable team who are well coached and have dynamic pin hitters."

The Corsairs have not faced Vernon Hills, the host school of Carmel's regional.

"It is never easy to win in someone else's gym, especially in the playoffs," Pazelt added. "We will not overlook any of our opponents."

Another potential opponent would be Crystal Lake Central.

"They've been solid all season and will be a formidable test," Pazely said. "We are hopeful that the home crowd will make a difference and push us through to the sectional final. At that point, in the sweet 16, all teams remaining are outstanding teams and anything can happen."

Carmel is looking for its first sectional title since 2011.

"This team is capable of making that happen, but we will need to play to our potential and not let the moment get too big for us," Pazely added. "Even though this is a young team, I believe they are ready for the challenge."

The Corsairs won the Westosha Central tournament and have posted 25 wins, including an 11- game win streak.

Libero Beca Arreola was named to the all-tourney team in the Crosstown Classic.

In the Lake Forest Tournament, Charlotte Shepherd and Brailyn Albanese were named to the all-tourney team. Suzy Trznadel is currently chasing the school record for single-season aces with 66 (the record is 73).

Immaculate Conception sectional

St. Viator (27-7) is the top seed followed in order by Burlington Central, Ridgewood, Wheaton Academy, Deerfield and Resurrection in the top six of the subsectional.

Lions coach Charlie Curtin says his team is appreciative of being closer to home than years past.

"There is a good mix of teams within the sectional that will make for competitive matches each night," he said. "We are looking to take it one day at a time within the state playoffs, and hoping within the sectional we can go 1-0 four times. We know there are some very good teams we will be competing against who will be prepared to bring their best so we are looking to be at our best as well."

The Lions won all four of the tourneys (Hoffman Estates, Conant quad, Schaumburg and Palatine) and have currently won 13 straight matches.

Erin Lynch set the school record for career kills and she currently has 258 this season.

The winner of the IC sectional plays the Carmel sectional champ.

Class 1A

Lycee Francais de Chicago sub-sectional

The top-seeded Schaumburg Christian Conquerors are enjoying a stellar season under third-year coach Steve Burmaster as they seek the school's first sectional crown since 2016.

Setter Eunice Cho has been a top setter in the NEC, leading the conference in assists with 6.6 per set. Many of coach Burmaster's other players are ranked at the top of various statistical categories.

Following Schaumburg Christian in the seeds are South Beloit, Christian Heritage Academy, Trinity Oaks Christian Academy, North Shore Country Day, Beacon Academy, Hiawatha and Willows Academy from Des Plaines.

The Conquerors will be at Hiawatha (Kirland) for the regional.

Schaumburg Christian will face the winner of No. 7 Hiawatha and No. 9 Rockford Christian Life.

"We have played both in our conference and beat both of them 2-0 but we will need to stay focused to move into the regional final where we expect to play either North Country Day or Trinity Oaks Christian Academy (Cary), who we have played twice and beat them 2-0 both times," Burmaster said.

As for the sectional, Burmaster says his team is confident.

"But we will definitely have to play our best to beat either of these teams with so much riding on the possibility of winning a sectional," he said.