Northwest postseason scouting
Northwest / Scouting postseason girls water polo
Palatine sectional
Top seeds: 1. Stevenson (22-8), 2. Wheeling (18-8), 3. Mundelein (14-14)
Outlook: Stevenson is No. 7 in the state in the most recent ranking by illpolo.com, with Wheeling at No. 17 and Mundelein at 19. The Wildcats wold love to get past Mundelein in a likely Friday semifinal and have a chance at Stevenson in the championship matchup. Coach Bob Savitt is hoping standouts Leah Malsom, Heather Murphy, Kat Dobrowski and Theresa Godlewski have benefited from a tough schedule and three Mid-Suburban League championship game appearances in the last four years. MSL East runner-up BG has the No. 5 seed and will face Libertyville in its first-round game.
Looking ahead: Four quarterfinals beginning at beginning at 4:30 p.m. Thursday; semifinals at 7 and 8:15 p.m. Friday; championship at 2:15 p.m. Saturday.
Schaumburg sectional
Top seeds: 1. Fremd (24-5), 2. Barrington (22-6), 3. Schaumburg (12-15)
Outlook: Mid-Suburban League champion Fremd is gunning for a fifth straight Elite Eight trip, this time under first-year head coach Ray Roth. There’s every reason to think the Vikes can get back to state with a senior-heavy and tournament-tested lineup, but Barrington, Schaumburg and No. 4 seed Conant (20-12) have all played well down the stretch. The semifinal and championship games figure to be very entertaining, showcasing individual talents such as Andrea Cobb and Kristi Burke (Conant), Casey Houts (Schaumburg), Brooke Fanslow, Lisa Danhauer and Kate Luedtke (Barrington) and Lauren Zambelli, Sam del Prado, Julie Conrath and Sam Matuszewski (Fremd).
Looking ahead: Four quarterfinals beginning at 4:30 p.m. Thursday; semifinals at 7 and 8:15 p.m. Friday; championship at 2:15 p.m. Saturday.
Glenbrook South sectional
Top seeds: 1. New Trier (24-5), 2. Loyola (15-13), 3. Maine East (21-6)
Outlook: Prospect (11-8) has the No. 4 seed and will face No. 5 Evanston in its quarterfinal on Thursday. Senior Jessica Cavaiani, an all-MSL pick, has been hard for teams to contend with. A likely semifinal against the top-seeded Trevs awaits if the Knights can get by Evanston.
Looking ahead: Four quarterfinals beginning at beginning at 4:30 p.m. Thursday; semifinals at 7 and 8:15 p.m. Friday; championship at 2:15 p.m. Saturday.
— Aaron Gabriel