Louisville Assumption left Chicago with its second straight Nike Challenge volleyball championship and an appreciation for Illinois volleyball.
The Rockets defeated local powers Queen of Peace, St. Francis, Lockport and Mother McAuley on the way to another title in the top high school tournament in the country.
Assumption defeated host Mother McAuley 15-10, 15-8 in the championship match after handling Lockport 17-15, 15-13 in the semifinals and St. Francis 15-6, 16-14 in the quarterfinals.
“All of them are a little bit different,” said Assumption coach Ron Kordes, whose team was ranked No. 1 in the country in the only national ranking so far this season. “I don’t think we played Mother McAuley at their best. We played well, as consistent as we’ve played all year. It’s going to be quite a war between those teams. I’m glad I’m leaving.”
The Rockets, who returned five starters from last year’s national championship team, left with a 23-1 record, its only loss coming to Indiana power Muncie Burris last month. Senior outside hitter Tiffany Whitlock made the all-tournament team and had seven kills against McAuley.
McAuley wasn’t given much of a chance to make the finals, coming into the tournament with an unfamiliar four-match losing streak. The Mighty Macs, led by all-tournament selection Heather Thomas, turned things around. After winning their pool Friday night, they defeated Pelham (Ala.) 15-10, 15-3 in the quarterfinals and then upset Stagg, No. 1 in last week’s Tribune rankings, 17-15, 7-15, 15-12 in the semifinals.
“It’s a big turnaround,” said McAuley coach Nancy Pedersen, whose team is an uncharacteristic 15-7. “I’m counting on them to keep up the good work and continue to improve. Now they are in trouble. I know they can do it.”
Thomas had nine kills against Stagg and four against Assumption. Teammate Nicole Kacor had four against Assumption and 10 against Stagg. The Mighty Macs ran a balanced attack and played well together in contrast to the team that finished fourth in last weekend’s Rich East Invitational.
The tournament was an excellent endorsement for Illinois volleyball. With Lockport (18-4) taking third, Stagg (22-3) fourth and St. Francis (22-3) sixth, there were four local teams in the top six finishers in a tournament that featured 24 teams from 10 states. No. 9 Queen of Peace finished ninth, Lincoln-Way was 10th and No. 5-ranked Downers Grove took 11th.
“We all beat each other up to get all these losses,” said Pedersen, whose team has lost to Downers South, Lockport, Stagg and Lyons Township in Illinois and to Assumption twice. “When they do national rankings, they see all these losses, and no one will get a high national ranking. I think Illinois volleyball showed very well this weekend.”
Lockport has defeated Stagg twice in the last week. The Porters fell behind 13-2 in the first game of the third-place match and blasted their way back behind all-tournament hitter Leslie Przekwas to win 16-14. Lockport won the second game 15-12 as Przekwas had 11 kills for the match.
While Stagg, led by all-tournament selection Janet Golen, McAuley and Lockport were battling each other in the lower bracket of the championship playoffs, St. Francis saw no Illinois teams in the entire tournament. Saturday it lost to Assumption in the quarterfinals and then defeated Catholic Memorial of Waukesha 15-13, 8-15, 15-12 in the consolation semifinals before losing to Pelham 15-9, 15-12 in the fifth-place match.
