St. Ignatius coach
Erik Eastman
used his fifth different lineup this year in Saturday’s Warrior Blast at Waubonsie Valley.
The Wolfpack were hit particularly hard by injuries early in the season, causing Eastman to play freshmen
Kristen Somerville
and
Kristi May
.
“I think we’ve got a very talented lineup, but they’re still learning,” Eastman said. “This has been about our most injured season. We’ve held our own against some good teams.”
The Wolfpack (15-4) have lost to Cary-Grove, Stevenson, Libertyville and Downers Grove North.
St. Ignatius lost to Downers Grove North on Saturday, but rebounded to defeat Batavia 23-25, 25-16, 25-21 in the third-place match in the Gold Division.
The one thread holding the Wolfpack together has been Wake Forest-bound junior
Sophia Dodd
. St. Ignatius started the season using a 5-1 offense with Dodd, but gave way to the a 6-2 incorporating May after the team was beset with injuries.
“Sophia is doing it all for us,” Eastman said. “She’s a dynamic volleyball player. Sophia’s an all-around player and great athlete. We’ve been even better since then.”
Wegman wraps up in busy weekend:
Rosary senior
Amelia Wegman
found a few minutes to take a break before Saturday’s championship match against Downers Grove North. Wegman admitted that her upcoming official visit to the University of Houston on Sunday and Monday could have come at a better time.
“I had to squeeze it in,” Wegman said. “The big thing is I’m not going to miss much. We’ve had some really big weekends full of volleyball. I couldn’t go any other time.”
After leading Rosary to the Warrior Blast title, Wegman will fly to Houston to spend the next couple of days on her first official visit. She made unofficial trips to Fordman, Miami-Ohio and Oakland (Mich.).
“I’m enjoying the season,” she said. “We’re doing really well. We have good team chemistry and we’re focusing on getting better.”
Wegman, who was named to the all-tournament team, finished with 10 kills in a two-game victory over Downers Grove North in the championship match.
“It’s definitely nice to go down there saying we won the tournament,” Wegman said.
Batavia aiming high:
The Bulldogs missed a chance to reach the title match after losing to Rosary. Batavia played Rosary three times in the last nine days, winning one match.
Batavia (14-10) finished the two-day Warrior Blast Tournament in fourth place in the Gold Division after falling to St. Ignatius in its final match.
“We have a pretty young team,” Batavia setter
Mary Nilles
said. “We’ve seen a lot of positives and we’re getting better every day. We finished higher than we’ve ever done.”
Nilles, who committed to Marquette, is adjusting to running the 5-1. She has limited experience running the 5-1 for her club team, Sports Performance.
“I have a lot to learn because this is my first time running the 5-1 in high school,” Nilles said. “Everybody has been supportive and I’m learning.”
Batavia coach
Lori Trippi-Payne
said the fourth-place medal was the highest finish at the Warrior Blast in her 11 years.
“We haven’t been in the final four, so it was pretty exciting for us,” she said. “I thought we played very well against St. Ignatius today. We’re very excited about that (getting fourth).”
