Scouting the Fox Valley area postseason
Class 4A
Prairie Ridge sectional
DeKalb regional pairings: Thu., Oct. 30, Match 1 at 5:30 p.m.: (4) Larkin vs. (5) Rockford Jefferson; Match 2 at 6:30 p.m.: (2) DeKalb (11-11-2) vs. (3) South Elgin (9-21); Match 3 at 7:30 p.m.: (1) Huntley (21-14) vs. Winner Match 1; Sat., Nov. 1, Winner Match 3 and Winner Match 2 play for the DeKalb regional title at 5 p.m.
Outlook: Huntley is seeking its 18th regional title and first since 2002. The Red Raiders have some key wins to their credit, including a victory over Crystal Lake Central. They pushed Fox Division champion Prairie Ridge to the limit last week. If Larkin can slip by Rockford Jefferson, the Royals would play a second match on Thursday against Huntley. South Elgin's record is deceiving; on seven separate occasions the Storm lost in decisive third games by 2 points. Huntley beat South Elgin in the season opener, a match in which the Storm made too many unforced errors. "I definitely think we've improved since then," South Elgin coach Joni Melahn said. "I feel if we can get the momentum right away (against DeKalb), start with strong serving, get a couple of runs and have good side out efficiency, we definitely have a chance to win a regional title this weekend. There's no St. Charles East in this regional." The Storm lost in a regional semifinal last season to St. Charles East, which went on to take third in Class 4A.
Dundee-Crown regional pairings: Thu., Oct. 30, Match 1 at 5:30 p.m.: (4) Dundee-Crown (18-16) vs. (5) Streamwood (8-26); Match 2 at 6:30 p.m.: (2) Jacobs (15-16) vs. (3) Elgin (17-14); Match 3 at 7:30 p.m.: (1) Cary-Grove (30-8) vs. Winner Match 1; Sat., Nov. 1, winners of Match 3 and Match 2 meet for the D-C regional title at 1 p.m.
Outlook: Top seed Cary-Grove won a share of its third title in the Fox Valley Conference by splitting with Crystal Lake South. The Trojans and Gators are not grouped in the same regional for the first time in three years. "We're relieved not to have South in our regional, but if we let our guards down, Dundee-Crown and Jacobs have the ability to beat us," Cary-Grove coach Patty Langanis said. "I don't think we'll be looking past the first or second round. Jacobs has taken us to three (games) every time we've played this year, and Dundee-Crown played us real tough last time in our home gym, so we definitely have our work cut out for us." Dundee-Crown beat Streamwood in the first match of the year, but not before the Sabres pushed it to a third game. "We're a different team since then," Streamwood coach Kevin Kwon said. "I like our chances." Senior middle Betsy Homan leads the Sabres with 229 kills and 63 solo blocks. Jacobs has beaten Dundee-Crown twice this season. Elgin enters the playoffs above .500 for the first time in several years, led by sophomore hitter Kendall Martin. "We've gotten by despite making mistakes in some matches because we have leadership, talent and heart, but unless we play with consistency we won't beat Jacobs," Elgin coach Keith Foster said. "They know what it takes to win close games. If we eliminate the little mistakes, I feel confident we can play with them."
Woodstock regional pairings: Thu., Oct. 30, Match 1 at 5:30 p.m. (4) McHenry (13-21) vs. (5) Grant; Match 2 at 6:30 p.m.: (2) Prairie Ridge (24-12) vs. (3) Woodstock (12-23); Match 3 at 7:30 p.m.: (1) Crystal Lake South (28-7) vs. Winner Match 1; Sat., Nov. 1, Winner Match 3 and Winner Match 2 play for the Woodstock regional title at 6 p.m.
Outlook: Crystal Lake South and Prairie Ridge are on a collision course to meet in the regional final. The Wolves beat the Gators 25-23, 23-25, 25-23 at the Autumnfest Tournament on Oct. 17. CL South is co-champion of the Valley Division of the Fox Valley Conference with Cary-Grove. Prairie Ridge won the Fox division outright. The Gators have won 16 regional titles, most recently in 2006. The Wolves have won 6 straight regionals and 8 in the last 9 seasons. For the first time in three years, CL South is not grouped in a regional with rival Cary-Grove. "It's refreshing to not have to scout the same team again, at least not yet," Crystal Lake South coach Jorie Fontana said. "The girls are very focused. They see the big picture here. We talk a lot about the mental toughness we need to have for each match, how it gets harder not easier and that if you lose focus for a second, a match can swing. I think we'll be ready."
Advancement: Tue., Nov. 4, Match 1 at 6 p.m.: Winner Rockford Guilford regional vs. Winner DeKalb regional; Match 2 at 7 p.m.: Winner Woodstock regional vs. Winner Dundee-Crown regional; Winners of Match 1 and Match 2 play for the Prairie Ridge sectional championship on Thu., Nov. 6 at 7 p.m.
York sectional
Geneva regional pairings: Thu., Oct. 30, Match 1 at 5:30 p.m.: (15) Glenbard North vs. (18) Proviso East; Match 2 at 6:30 p.m.: (7) Batavia (22-13) vs. (10) Bartlett (20-11); Match 3 at 7:30 p.m.: (2) Geneva (27-7) vs. Winner Match 1; Sat., Nov. 1, winners of Match 2 and Match 3 play for the Geneva regional title at 1 p.m.
Outlook: Bartlett did not face Batavia or Geneva this season. First up is Batavia, which knocked the Hawks out of the playoffs in 2006. Bartlett finished fourth in the Upstate Eight Conference and played well at the Lake Park Tournament over the weekend. The Hawks took state-ranked Naperville North and highly regarded Fremd to 3 games. "We can play with the top teams," first-year Bartlett coach Brandon Mueller said. "I think it'll be a good game against Batavia. "By no means to I think we can't compete with them." The Hawks are led by junior outside hitter Carly Sahagian and senior middle Emily Hayes. Geneva was beaten twice by Hampshire last weekend. The Vikings won the Western Sun Conference. Batavia finished in a three-way tie for second.
Advancement: The Geneva regional winner will play the Lake Park regional winner on Tue., Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. The York sectional championship match takes place on Thu., Nov. 6 at 7 p.m.
Class 3A
Sterling sectional
Sycamore regional pairings: Thu., Oct. 30: (1) Sycamore vs. (4) Rochelle at 6 p.m.; (2) Burlington Central (29-6) vs. (3) Kaneland (12-17) at 7 p.m.; Winners play for the title on Sat., Nov. 1 at 6 p.m.
Outlook: Burlington Central won't overlook Kaneland, but a win would set up a rematch of last year's regional title match against Sycamore, a victory the Spartans used as a springboard to a third-place finish at state. The Rockets won the Big Northern-East for the second straight year. The Spartans won their last 7 matches in the Western Sun Conference to finish in a three-way tie for second. But first things first for the Rockets. "We're just focused on Kaneland," Central coach Marv Leavitt said. "I think it's a tough regional. Playing Kaneland in the first match is not something we're looking forward to because they're playing better as the season has progressed. If we overlook them, our season will be over. But it's a good thing because we have to be ready right away. We would certainly love a chance to play Sycamore again, but we're going to have to earn that." Senior setter Molly Turk and junior outside hitter Stephanie Holthus lead the Rockets.
Advancement: Tues., Nov. 4: Winner Sycamore Regional vs. Winner Rock Island regional at 6 p.m.; Winner Yorkville Regional vs. Winner Dixon regional at 7 p.m. Winners meet for the Sterling sectional championship on Thu., Nov. 6 at 7 p.m.
Marian Central sectional
Belvidere regional pairings: Thu., Oct. 30, (1) Hampshire (34-2) vs. (4) Belvidere North at 6 p.m.; (2) Rockford East vs. (3) Belvidere; The winners meet for the Belvidere regional title on Sat., Nov. 1 at 7 p.m.
Outlook: Hampshire, last year's Class 2A runner-up, makes the jump to the Class 3A bracket. The Whip-Purs have been gearing up for the playoffs for weeks and go in with confidence after beating Burlington Central last Tuesday and beating Geneva twice on Saturday to win the Kaneland Tournament. The Whips are the favorite here, but they must focus on the job at hand and not look ahead. "You can't overlook any team with rally scoring," Hampshire coach Karen Whitehouse said. "Any team can beat any team on any given day, so we have to come out and play our game and run our offense. I think we have a good shot of going far this year in 3A. From the beginning of the season, our expectations and our goals have been the same. If we keeping working hard, that's hopefully what we'll do." Rockford East hasn't won a regional since 1995. Belvidere and Belvidere North both finished below .500 in the NIC-10 Conference. The road would get much tougher at the sectional, where the Whips would be on course to face defending Class 3A state champion Crystal Lake Central (31-4) in a semifinal. Marian Central could be the opponent in the sectional final if Hampshire continues to advance.
Advancement: Tue., Nov. 4: Winner Marengo regional vs. Winner Lakes regional at 6 p.m.; Winner Wauconda Regional vs. Winner Belvidere regional at 7 p.m.; Winners meet for Marian Central sectional title on Thu., Nov. 6 at 7 p.m.
Class 2A
St. Edward regional pairings: Thu., Oct. 30, Match 1 at 5:30 p.m.: (4) Woodlands Academy vs. (5) Genoa-Kingston; Match 2 at 6:30 p.m.: (2) Aurora Christian vs. (3) St. Edward (18-16); Match 3 at 7:30 p.m.: (1) Harvard (20-8) vs. Winner Match 1; Sat., Nov. 1, Winner Match 3 vs. Winner Match 2 play for the St. Edward regional title at 5 p.m.
Outlook: St. Edward has been on fire in the second half of the season against a schedule loaded with Class 3A schools. After they got healthy midway through the season, the Wave notched wins over Suburban Catholic Conference rivals Rosary and Marian Central and took perennial state power St. Francis to 3 games. "We started to really play well and beat some good teams," fifth-year St. Edward coach Jaime Walton said. "I think we're very focused, and we're playing relaxed. I knew once we started clicking things would be OK." St. Edward draws a tough opener against Aurora Christian, which will join St. Edward's conference next year. The Green Wave and Loyola-bound outside hitter Kristen Haggenjos will need the backing of its full-throated student section if they indeed face Harvard for the regional championship. Led by senior outside hitter Ashleigh Fisher, a player Walton coached previously in club volleyball, the Hornets present a difficult challenge. Harvard beat Hampshire and took Burlington Central to three games this season. But both of those matches were in Harvard. The cozy confines of St. Edward's gymnasium can reach rock concert decibels during big matches, and a St. Edward-Harvard final would most certainly qualify as big.
Advancement: The winner of the St. Edward regional will play the winner of the Winnebago regional in a Forreston sectional semifinal on Tues., Nov. 4 at 7 p.m.
Class 1A
Westminster Christian regional pairings: Wed., Oct. 29, Match 1 at 6 p. m: (4) Fox Valley Lutheran Academy vs. (5) Mooseheart; Match 2 at 7 p.m.: (1) Hinckley-Big Rock (16-14-2) vs. Winner Match 1; Thu., Oct. 30, Match 3 at 5:30 p.m.: (2) Westminster Christian (13-15) vs. (7) Bridgeview Universal; Match 4 at 6:30 p.m.: (3) Waldorf vs. (6) Elgin Academy; Match 5 at 7:30 p.m.: Winner Match 3 vs. Winner Match 4; Sat., Nov. 1, Winner Match 2 vs. Winner Match 5 for the Westminster Christian regional title at 1 p.m.
Outlook: Westminster Christian will try to win the first volleyball regional title in school history on its home court. To do so, the Warriors will likely have to go through top-seeded Hinckley-Big Rock. The Warriors lost twice to H-BR, but the second match went 3 games. "I think we'll do OK if we get to face them," Westminster Christian coach Guy Lum said. "I have a game plan, and I hope it will work. With home-court advantage and a little bit of luck, we can win a regional final." Middle Jessica Benson is the leading scorer for the Warriors. The 5-foot-9 junior has 134 kills.
Advancement: The Westminster Christian regional winner will advance to the Somonauk sectional to face the winner of the North Shore Country Day regional on Tues, Nov. 4 at 7 p.m.