About 15 miles northwest of Cary-Grove, there’s another volleyball team making some noise this year. Marian Central Catholic finished the regular season with a 30-4 mark, and could threaten to advance further in the playoffs than any team in school history.
No. 9 Marian has made the state tournament four times, but did not advance past the quarterfinals in the old two-class format.
“The big key for us this year is their willingness to play for every point,” Marian coach Laura Watling said. “They never give up. We’ve come from behind a lot, more than I like. They don’t look at any deficit too big. They like to win.”
The Hurricanes stand a few points away from matching Cary-Grove’s unblemished record. All four of Marian Central’s losses — to St. Francis, Huntley, Crystal Lake Central and Rosary — have been in close three-game matches. The development of junior outside hitter Emma Hussey, who had 17 kills in a victory over St. Francis, helped the Hurricanes notch 30 wins within the regular season for the first time.
“Emma is more a player-in-the-moment type,” Watling said. “She’s big for us in pressure situations. She’s really grown in maturity. She wants the ball when the game is on the line. She likes being the go-to player.”
Senior libero Dena Ott (408 digs, 46 aces) and junior setter Abby Gilleland (678 assists) join Hussey in forming a talented trio. The Hurricanes open the postseason Thursday against the winner of the Woodstock North-Woodstock match.
“We’re not super tall, but we play bigger than we are,” Watling said. “I’m proud of the girls. We have a chance to make state. It’s been an incredible season so far.”
Sandburg building for strong finish
Sandburg coach David Vales took a different tactic this year regarding the regular season. The Eagles opened last year by winning 21 of their first 23 matches, but lost to Mother McAuley in a sectional final.
“We didn’t want to peak too early this year and cash out early,” Vales said. “Last year there was no way to go up after we started out so fast.”
A rash of injuries and illness forced the Eagles (27-8) to diminish the importance of the regular season. Sandburg lost senior outside hitter Jenny Buczek for three weeks with an illness, and setter Genna Pavone for the rest of the postseason following a car accident.
The Eagles opened the season 8-4, but won 19 of their final 23 regular-season matches. The abundance of injuries led to a balanced, deeper lineup. The Eagles have four players within five kills of each other — Kara Kentner (150 kills), Amanda Kijewski (145), Megan Opferman (145) and Dakota Hampton (140). Kentner, a junior outside hitter, sparkled during Buczek’s absence, finishing the regular season with 240 digs, 250 assists and 30 aces.
The Eagles enter the postseason 18-2 against teams from Illinois since the Wheaton Classic, where they lost Buczek. Sandburg’s two losses in the last 20 matches came against St. Francis and Lyons. The Eagles finished undefeated in the Southwest Suburban Blue for the second straight season.
“Losing Jenny Buczek was unfortunate, but I believe that we have rebounded well in her absence and feel we will be better overall after having gone through that,” Vales said. “With many of our girls playing in 50 or more of our 80 games, we like what our depth will provide in the playoffs.”
Hersey leads MSL crown
Hersey won its third consecutive Mid-Suburban League title last week by defeating Schaumburg in three games. The Huskies surpassed expectations after losing five all-conference players from last year’s 35-4 team. Hersey enters the postseason with a 29-6 record, and won 64 of its last 74 matches in the last two years.
“We’ve been kind of under the radar this year,” Hersey coach Nancy Lill said. “Everybody thought the team would be down this year. We had some good players come up from the junior varsity.”
The Huskies, who have a 36-0 record in conference play the last three years, should be a top team for several more years. Sophomore setter Abby Fesl (879 assists) is part of a talented group of underclassmen. Fesl is following in her older sisters’ footsteps in building a legacy at Hersey. Megan Fesl played at Notre Dame (2006-09), and Annie is a senior setter at Cincinnati.
“Abby is the real deal,” Lill said. “Her future is real bright, as is ours with her at the helm for the next two years.”
East Suburban Catholic honors
The East Suburban Catholic Conference announced its 2010 All-Conference team. No. 2 Marist, which won the conference outright with a 9-0 mark, led the way with five players on the team. Caroline Niedospial, who committed to Northwestern, was named the Most Valuable Player. The senior libero finished the regular season with 616 digs, 48 assists, 166 service points and 25 aces.
Marist coach Natalie Holder was selected as the Coach of the Year.
Hungry Lyons
No. 3 Lyons enters the postseason with plenty of motivation. The Lions (34-1) overcame injuries to setters Alexis Viliunas and Erin Juley to win the West Suburban Silver championship. Lyons, which lost to Cary-Grove in the 4A title game last year, is one of few teams capable of knocking off the Trojans.
“We have everybody back now,” Lyons coach Joann Pyritz said. “We’ve been at full strength the last couple of weeks. It almost feels like I’ve got seven players on the court. We have quality players who can score in a lot of ways. We hopefully can take care of business in the playoffs.”
Top performers
Mallory Salis, Marist
, Jr., OH:
44 digs, 32 kills, 7 aces, 22 service points while leading the RedHawks to quality wins over Joliet Catholic, Young, West Chicago and Hinsdale Central.
Paige Hopper, Libertyville
, Sr., OH:
41 kills, 33 digs, 5 blocks in five matches last week. Hopper sparked the Wildcats to the North Suburban Conference title-match victory over Vernon Hills.
Martha Stewart, Waubonsie Valley
, Sr., OH:
34 kills in two matches last week. Stewart had 11 kills in Waubonsie Valley’s two-game win over Neuqua Valley, and she stepped up with 23 kills in a three-game victory over St. Charles East, including 11 kills in the final game to lead the Warriors to the Upstate Eight Valley title.
Jocelynn Birks, Lyons
, Sr., OH:
23 kills and 7 digs in two matches Saturday.The Illinois-bound Birks has been a constant figure in the lineup amid the injuries to Viliunas and Juley.
Ally Davis, Hinsdale Central
, Jr., OH:
33 assists, 16 kills in loss to No. 2 Marist. Announced a verbal commitment to attend Michigan.
Best possible regional matches
Conant Regional
:
Several talented teams with late-season issues are in this regional. Top-seeded West Chicago could be forced to beat Wheaton Warrenville South for a fourth time this year in the regional final.
York Regional:
Surely No. 2 seed York won’t lack motivation after West Chicago was awarded the top seed in the Bartlett Sectional. An enticing match against Schaumburg and USC-bound Emily Young looms in the final.
Mundelein Regional:
Top-seeded Libertyville would love a chance at revenge in the regional title match against Carmel, which defeated the Wildcats in the postseason last year.
Huntley Regional:
A loaded regional features No. 10 Huntley, DeKalb, Prairie Ridge, Jacobs and Crystal Lake South. If Huntley wins its semifinal match, a matchup against DeKalb or Prairie Ridge would be set for the regional title.
