High School Volleyball: 2010

Thursday, December 2, 2010

ONE MORE TIME!

Seeing that GLEE is all the "rage" now a days, it seems only fitting that a theme of this game is "Hit me Baby One More Time" from the Pop sensation herself Britney Spears (had a whole episode dedicated to her this sesason).

I had the true honor and pleasure of seeing most of the girls selected in this years All Star Game play in person, and am just still amazed at their talent level. When area sports writers and columnists contributed to the full list of coaches/players to be part of the team, it just game me such a joy to think about what is in store Next Monday Night!!!

A side note but important thought to keep in mind is that this game's proceeds are going toward charity, which is something that should not be overlooked. A SILVER LINING FOUNDATION is a wonderful charity that assists in breast cancer awareness.

Back to the game, (HIT ME BABY...) It will be a display the likes of which have never been seen. LITERALLY there has never really been a HS ALL STAR GAME for Volleyball in the state of IL. Hopefully with this game's success it can expand to next year. BUT not to overlook the inaugural game.

A bit of a quick Hx Lesson (history for those not in the medical field) on the conception of the game...

I was driving home from a late night game at Cary-Grove HS (they beat McHenry in 2) and my driving buddy and Color Commentator "Mighty" Matt Malich were joking that we should have a "friendly" scrimmage of our SportsTownChicago.com staff vs. a team like Cary-Grove or Wheaton St. Francis and film it as a joke piece for our website. Well after the nearly hour long drive and then a sleepless night of running thoughts (even though I really can't run in real life) it hit me...an All-Star Game! I am not really meant to do any physical activity, let alone get a face lift from a VONDERHAAR spike. So let me stick to what I (pretend to) do best...do a play by play announcement of the game and let the girls display their skills.

A week later my trusty student "A-Lo" Alex Locicero mentioned the concept of the game to the head coach of Marist high school Mrs. H and she said it was a great idea if it can be pulled off...SOOOOOOO that more or less leads us to today...a few days before the BIG GAME...which I am very thoroughly excited for!

To the girls at this point, I wish you the best of luck (not that they need any luck from my un-athletic self). Have fun and remember that you are representing yourself, your family, and your school! And they couldn't be prouder...

A Game For The Ages!!!

Come one come all to the 2010 Illinois High School Girls Volleyball All-Star Game brought to you by SportsTownChicago.com and the Illinois Center for Broadcasting!

It's not only an all-star game for the ages, but a game for charity as well!!! All, yes all, as in every single cent will benefit A Silver Lining Foundation in their research towards the cure and prevention of breast cancer!

This game will feature 36 of the top Seniors in the state of Illinois!!! Come see them play one last time in their high school uniforms before going off to their collegiate careers!

The game is Monday December 6th at 7 PM at Moraine Valley Community College in Palos Hills!

It'll be streamed live online (audio AND video) on SportsTownChicago.com!

For a list of complete rosters click here:

http://sportstownchicago.com/hsvallstargame.cfm

For those of you who want to know what the state finals were like, they were more fun to call than the Football Championships. I called both volleyball and football and first hand, the volleyball atmosphere was unbelievable. As exciting as that experience was, the all-star game will be played at a collegiate level!

Come and show your support at this first annual (and ONLY) High School Girls Volleyball All-Star game in the state of Illinois!

This event is brought to you by the Illinois Center for Broadcasting, BeOnAir.com, The Law Offices of John Zapala, Buffalo Wild Wings, Baden, and SportsTownChicago.com

Monday at Noon CST be sure to tune into a special To The Whistle as Alex LoCicero (A-Lo) and Danny V bring you a preview of Monday Night's Epic Game!

Friday, November 12, 2010

The Semi-Finals

Wow what a day! The first four matches of the day all went to three sets. That left us with little time between games for interviews, trips to the little broadcasters room, and of course little time to take a deep breath. And I wouldn't have it any other way. It was some of the most exciting volleyball you'll ever see!

Scales-Mound was led by Whitney Kieffer (A SportsTownChicago All-Star) and they will take on Heyworth in the battle of the hive as both teams are the Hornets. Senior Dakota Springer was a dominating force as she was set up from her S&S connection partner Kelli Shaffer.

In the 3rd place game the Lutheran Crusaders will take on the Lady Pirates of Cumberland.

At the 2A level the Breese Central Cougars and Jena Hemann will take on the Chicago Christian Knights and SportsTownChicago.com All-Star Madison Kamp! It should be an exciting matchup to say the least.

The 2A 3rd place game will feature the Bloomington Central Catholic Saints against the St. Teresa Bulldogs.

At class 3A Mater Dei is in the state championship game against the two time defending State Champions Joliet Catholic Academy Angels. This will be one exciting game as Dr. Pete will be back to call this game!

The 3A 3rd place game is between the Payton Grizzlies and Marian Central Catholic Hurricanes. This may be a 3rd place game, but expect both teams to bring fantastic performances.

In the 4A championship game it will be one for the ages as the Lyons Township Lions get their shot at redemption as they'll take on the Cary-Grove Trojans in a rematch of the title game from last year. Combined this season the teams are 81-1. That's insane! Two of the best teams in the entire nation face off! It's the kind of game that deserves prime time coverage, and we'll bring it to you live online on SportsTownChicago.com.

Finally in the 4A third place game it's the tale of two programs coming to the state final four for the first time in school history as the York Dukes take on the Edwardsville Tigers. One of these teams will bring home some more hardware and be able to end their season with a win.

It all starts bright at early at 8:45 tomorrow morning!

Team White

Coach James Garcia of Chicago Christian will be coaching Team White in place of Coach Joann Pyritz due to a scheduling conflict, but congratulations to both coaches on the invitation!

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Team White Head Coach

Joann Pyritz: Lyons Township

Team Pink Head Coach

Patty Langanis: Cary-Grove

Show Update

UPDATE: Interviews on the show that were pre-recorded will be partially aired live, but the entire interview can be heard on SportsTownChicago.com as a free downloadable podcast. They'll be up and available by the end of the night so make sure you check SportsTownChicago.com for full interviews on tonight's show!!!

Thursday Update:

In just about an hour we'll be going LIVE on SPORTSTOWNCHICAGO.com to do our special state preview show and All-Star Selection show.

The All-Star game is on Monday December 6th at 7 PM at Moraine Valley Community College in Palos Hills, IL.

The roster will be announced at the end of the show!

The All-Star roster will be up on here asap (immediately after the show tonight we have to get down to Normal so we'll get it up when we get the chance) but invitations are being sent out to the players and coaches.

On the show tonight we have interviews from:

York's Head Coach Patty Iverson

Lyon's Head Coach Joann Pyritz

Edwardsville Head Coach Jami Parker

Cary-Grove Head Coach Patty Langanis

Joliet Catholic Academy's Head Coach Chris Scheibe

Mater Dei's Head Coach Fred Rakers

Payton's Head Coach Joel Anderson

Chicago Christian's Head Coach James Garcia

ESPN Rise Volleyball's Kirstin Olsen

Sun-Times (YourSeason.com)'s Phil Brozynski

Chicago Tribune's Bill Harrison

South Town Star's Tony Baranek

Northwest Herald's Maureen Lynch

and Athletico Athletic Trainer Amanda Little!

Yesterday we were live at Cary-Grove High School for Lunch Room Live! It was a 3 hour show where we got to interview the players, coaches, and fans of the school. It was a great time and gave us the opportunity to get to know a little bit about the players. If only we had the opportunity to do that with every program we cover!

Don't Forget that tomorrow morning we'll be broadcasting live on SportsTownChicago.com starting at 8:45 AM from Redbird Arena from Illinois State University as we bring you the Semi-Finals for classes 1-4 A of the IHSA Girl's Volleyball Tournament. It's a full day of coverage so grab a chair and listen to the exciting coverage!

There can only be one! (State Champ at each class)

After tomorrow we're down to 2!

Keep checking here for the latest updates and check out SportsTownChicago.com to listen to the LIVE Broadcasts all day Friday and Saturday!

Alex LoCicero (A-Lo)

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Wednesday LunchRoom Live

Wednesday (Tomorrow) November 10th we'll be broadcasting live from the lunchroom of Cary-Grove High School! They are currently ranked as the #1 team in the entire nation. It'll be a great show consisting of Dr. Pete, Mighty Matt, A-Lo and an entire host of lunch ladies. Okay I'm not sure about that last one but we will be interviewing students and players from the Cary-Grove Trojans. It's all part of the excitement for this weekend's final four down at Illinois State University!

Thursday Night from 7-9 PM listen to SportsTownChicago.com as we bring a special Illinois Girl's High School Volleyball State Preview show and All-Star Selection show!!!

That's right there's an all-star game in Illinois, so listen to us to find out what players made the roster!!! We'll be interviewing head coaches that are going downstate as well as sportswriters to get their take on this exciting event! This is must listen to radio!!! It starts Wednesday with Lunchroom Live from Cary-Grove, continues Thursday at 7 PM with the state preview and all-star selection show, and concludes with Friday and Saturday continuous coverage of the Semi and State finals live from Illinois State University.

All this can only be found on SportsTownChicago.com

Sunday, November 7, 2010

We're Going To State!

And just like that we're down to the final four teams going to state in each class of IHSA girls volleyball!!!

On Saturday it was one crazy day. We went to T.F. South to cover the Marist Redhawks taking on the Lyons Township Lions. It was the #2(Marist) and #3(Lyons) teams in the state. Marist was ranked 22nd in the nation by ESPN while Lyons was ranked 26th in the nation. Needless to say this was built up to be a championship type game. Marist had already beaten Lyons earlier in the year. But Lyons had one of their best players healthy and ready to go in this game in Alexis Viliunas as she had missed that match up earlier in the year.

The first game was as advertised as Lyons won 25-21. The key difference in game one was with Jocelyn Birks. She was an unstoppable force. Lyons was the very aggressive offensive team that keeps attacking a team trying to get them to break down on defense whereas Marist is a team that plays great defense and forces the offense to break down and make mistakes on offense. Something had to give and it was with the Redhawks defense. Birks, Laura Williams, Kelsey Keeve, and Viliunas were too much for the Redhawks. As they started breaking down on defense with poor passes, they were unable to get their offense rolling and that's how game 1 ended.

Game 2 was a continuation of the ending of game 1. It may have been the most dominating performance we've seen all year, and we've seen Cary-Grove play twice. Lyons won 25-10 and made a statement that they were back at state and better than last year when they took 2nd in state. They played a near perfect game. Three mistakes on serves going into the net and another one on a mishit but that was in in game 2. They have away four points and only had more scored on them. If Lyons plays like this on Friday in the Semi-Finals there is no stopping them. They have the best offense in the state when they're firing on all cylinders and can break down any defense.

Going into this game we thought that Marist had the best defense in the state. They showed that they still had a great defense, but there was nothing they could do in game 2. The defense still played well behind Libero and All-Star Caroline Niedospial. Ashley Holder played well at the net despite being a 5'8" setter. Courtney Collins was the best offensive weapon for the Redhawks but she didn't get enough chances during game 2. Mallory Salis played well too. Katie Krasowski (Smiley McGhee) and Lauren Zielinski also had their hands full at the net with Lyons front line and Gruesome Twosome in Birks and Viliunas. Marist and head coach Natalie Holder should hold their heads high as they finished the year at 37-3. They won the sectionals which is no easy feat. While they won't be going to state, they showed great class by congratulating the Lyons players after the game and after the handshakes. The Redhawks have a lot to look forward to next season and for the seniors we want to wish them the best of luck moving forward!

In the night cap down at Normal Community West High School, yes we made that long drive, the Hinsdale South Hornets took on the Edwardsville Tigers. First of all I want to thank the A.D. Stan Lewis of Normal West for the hospitality room! This was the first time in Volleyball that we've gotten that sort of treatment and we truly appreciate it! Hinsdale South had upset Hinsdale Central and Benet Academy to get to this point. Edwardsville we hadn't seen before but they had posted solid and consistent scores throughout the playoffs. Game one was 25-17 in favor of the Tigers. The key difference in game one was the unforced errors. The Hornets had 14 unforced errors compared to 7 on Edwardsville. Game 2 also went to Edwardsville as they won 25-20. Again the Hornets had more unforced errors.

Hinsdale South showed some great tenacity and poise throughout these playoffs as they were in tight games night after night. Danielle Romeo demonstrated some great senior leadership and offensive power. Jessica Brezwyn is a great offensive weapon, she didn't get enough touches though. Morgan Howard also played well at the net. For the Hornets this loss is heartbreaking as they were one win away from pulling off the true Cinderella journey of making it to state. That's nothing to be ashamed of, they were 33-7 on the year and still went home with a sectional title. Not an easy feat when only 8 teams in the state do that after everyone has a chance to. With only four seniors they have a lot to look forward to next year, and head coach Tina Martinez demonstrated that her players trust and believe in her system. Best of luck next season and to the seniors best of look in your future!

As for the victorious Tigers they were a pleasant surprise. Because we didn't get a chance to watch them this year, we weren't sure what to expect. Head Coach Jami Parker and her team showed us was consistent and mistake free volleyball looks like. They make few mistakes defensively and make even fewer mistakes on offense. With only 2 seniors on the roster it would be easy to write them off moving forward but Maddi Croft (Maddi Ice) is a great leader on the court and plays very well in the middle. Samantha Epenesa (Handy Sam) is a very dangerous outside hitter and all over the court on defense. Camrey Saye (a freshman) plays like she's an upperclassman and shouldn't be overlooked. Sarah Parker and Taylor Marshall are also two players that make their impact known on the court. If they continue to play consistent and make few mistakes, it'll be hard for any team to beat them. They keep their emotions in check as they are never too excited and never too frustrated. They stay level headed with is a testament to the job the coaching staff has done leading them downstate for the first time in school history! Best of luck downstate!

The other teams in 4A advancing downstate are the York Dukes and Cary-Grove Trojans. It should be a slobberknocker as Dr. Pete would say. But we won't just be covering the 4A state tournament. We're covering it all from 1-4A. All the semi-finals and the third place games AND of course the State Finals!!!

At 3A we'll see Payton take on Mater Dei and Joliet Catholic take on Marian.

At 2A we'll see Bloomington Central Catholic take on Breese Central and St. Teresa take on Chicago Christian.

At 1A we'll see Scales Mound take on Lutheran and Heyworth take on Cumberland.

And of course at 4A Lyons Township takes on York (Conference foes) and Edwardsville takes on defending state champs Cary-Grove.

It'll be a blast to cover and the madness continues next Friday from Illinois State University!

Stay tuned here for the latest updates concerning the IHSA Girl's volleyball playoffs and check SportsTownChicago.com to download all the games we've covered and the download the interviews we've conducted as well. There will be more new interviews up this week so be sure to check it daily to hear the newest content only on SportsTownChicago.com

See You At State!!!

Alex LoCicero (A-Lo)

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Speechless...

In the words of Dr. Pete... wa wa we wa! The IHSA sectional finals game at Romeoville H.S. was one of the best matches you could have ever seen! The Benet Academy Redwings took on the Hinsdale South Hornets. Both teams entered the game at 32-6. Benet being nationally ranked as well as being ranked 5th in the State. But that didn't let the underdog Hornets from pulling off an exciting upset.

The first game went to Benet at 31-29 and might have been the most exciting game any of us at SportsTownChicago.com has ever seen! Neither team would go away and it was back and forth throughout the entire game. The game even ended on a controversial call, it could have kept going. While I'm sure that a lot can be said about the officiating, we at SportsTownChicago.com call the games and aren't in the proper position to make calls so we can't comment one way or the other on them.

The second game went to Hinsdale South as they won 28-26. This game was just as intense as the second game. The Hornets jumped out early, but Benet game clawing back to tie the game late. Head Coach Lisa Martinez of Hinsdale South helped keep her girls focused on the play at hand and they found a win to get a win and force a game 3.

When it gets to the third game in the Sectional Finals throw out the stat book because anything is possible! The third game ended with Hinsdale South winning 30-28. That third match summed up the night perfectly. Hinsdale South played together as a team and communicated very well with one another. Benet had an insane amount of talent on the court, but did not communicate well with one another that hurt them in their passing game. The serve and serve receive game was sloppy as well, but Hinsdale South also hurt themselves with the same type of mistakes. It was a shame that one of these teams had to lose. They both have the talent worthy of being downstate. Hinsdale South's victory came down to luck. Both teams played with the same energy, desire, and effort, but it came down to Hinsdale South having two more plays go their way in that third game. By no means were they handed the game, they earned it. Had Benet won they would have earned it too. It was a game for the ages and again a shame that one team had to end their season tonight.

When the game ended Hinsdale South fans stormed the court to celebrate with their team! The Benet team walked off the court after shaking hands with the Hornets with tears in their eyes. You couldn't help but feel bad to see a team end their season when they wanted to win so badly. On the other hand Hinsdale South had tears in their eyes as they couldn't have been happier to win and advance to the Super Sectionals. In one of the best acts of good sportsmanship we've seen all year, the Hinsdale South fans and players gave Benet an ovation when they came back on the court to show their respect for the effort they put forth tonight. It was a great sight to see and it starts with their Athletic Director Tim Feigh. By the way we really want to get a picture with the Hinsdale South Hornet Mascot for the website because we love covering anything to do with Mascots over at the station.

While Benet's season is ending they have a lot to be proud of. They may not have made it down to state, but they won a Regional Title and were a point away from going home with a Sectional Title. While the seniors are heartbroken, many of them are going to go on to successful collegiate careers and we want to wish them the best of luck! The rest of the team that is returning has a lot of talent and experience that should help them be back in this position next year. Best of luck to the Redbirds next season!

As for Hinsdale South they are one of eight teams left in 4A! They now get to play Edwardsville on Saturday for the chance to go to state! Exciting stuff!!! We'll be covering that game on Saturday night LIVE from Normal Community West High School at 6 PM on SportsTownChicago.com. Before that we'll be at the Marist-Lyons game being played at Thornton Fractional South at 1:00 PM! Those should be two great games and we can't wait to find out who is making the trip to the final four at state!

Be sure to keep checking back here for the latest updates or check SportsTownChicago.com to listen to any games or interviews we have conducted throughout these playoffs!

The Sectionals Get Super On Saturday!

Alex LoCicero (A-Lo)

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Quick Timeout For College Playoff Volleyball

Wednesday Night we made the familiar trek over to Moraine Valley Community College to broadcast the Lady Cyclones playoff volleyball game against the Morton College Panthers.

This was the second time I have had the fortune of calling a game for the Cyclones and the first time I have called a game for the Panthers. For Dr. Pete he's made the long and difficult travel to Moraine Valley hundreds of times as he was once a Cyclone himself now living a mere hop skip and a jump from the campus. Okay it's more like a hop skip and a long jump away but you get the idea. The last time we saw the Cyclones they had just wrapped up the Skyway Conference title and had just beaten Harper College. Tonight was playoff time!

Moraine Valley came into the game with a 31-6 record and Morton College came in with a record of 7-20. In the last few weeks we have seen favored teams fail to show up and find themselves fighting to avoid an upset. That was not the case this night. The Cyclones head coach Gloria Coughlin had her team focused and ready to execute their game plan. They came out spreading the ball around and forcing the Panthers defense to spread out as well. Once that happened they were able to dissect their opponent with directional hitting. Donna Killeen and Carli Immordino had big nights and Rachel Levitt, Shannon Ott, and Bianca Hull also played very well. I want to take a moment to congratulate Rachel Levitt, Bianca Hull, Kelly Stack and Katie Yacko for being named to the all conference tournament team. In addition to that Kelly Stack was recently named the NJCAA player of the week for 10/24/2010! Rachel Levitt had that honor back in September.

While the scoreboard indicated a blowout with the Cyclones winning in three sets (25-11,25-11,25-9) it does not indicate the effort put forth by the Morton College Panthers. Missing three members from their team, the Panthers played short handed and without their starting Libero. Playing without a starting Libero is like playing basketball without your starting point guard. You may be able to get by, but the offense isn't quite the same. It's a little out of rhythm and not running full speed. That's because the starting Libero gets the first team reps and the back up has to learn another position as well. It's like that for any team at any level. Morton played with a lot of energy and a lot of desire. It just didn't show on the scoreboard. The impressive part was that there was no sign of quit on anyones face. Julene Kluba had a good match as did Cecilia Rodriquez. While she was undersized compared to Moraine Valley, she did a great job adjusting throughout the game to hit more soft shots over the double blocks she faced. Samantha Ginger also had a few big hits that resulted in kills. There were definitely signs that this Morton College team can be successful next year with about half of their roster returning. It is important that those returning bring that same effort and energy to practice and games and if that happens it's only a matter of time until the scoreboard turns to their favor. I want to wish the Panthers the best of luck throughout the rest of this school year and next season!

Meanwhile back at the hall of Justice, well the building the Cyclones play in, they get to advance to the next round of the playoffs. While it was an impressive win, there are things that can be improved upon moving forward. There were some miscommunication errors throughout the game as well as a few times where the defense was out of position. It's nothing major, but things that are important to clean up if they want to play deep into the postseason. Best of luck to the Moraine Valley Cyclones throughout the rest of the playoffs!

Tomorrow night (Thursday November 4th) we're back to IHSA Girl's Volleyball coverage with the Sectional Finals LIVE from Romeoville H.S.

Be sure to stayed tuned to SportsTownChicago.com for the latest updates and be sure to check back here everyday for the latest information about where we'll be next!

Thursday Brings The Hardware!

Alex LoCicero (A-Lo)

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Is This Volleyball?

Or a Jonas Brothers concert? The crowd at Jacobs High school this evening was off the charts! Hononegah High School had a great turnout and their fans rose to their feet on several occasions. They did everything they could to help the Lady Indians step up their game.

The Hononegah Lady Indians came out slow against Dundee-Crown and admitted that they thought they could cake walk to the sectional finals. Once they cleaned up their serve and serve-receive game they were able to come back and win the first two games to take the match. Hopefully this game serves as a lesson that they need to show up with their best effort in the playoffs if they want to win. It's time to show up or go home so they'll need to give all they can to get a win on Thursday.

The team that the Hononegah Lady Indians beat was Dundee-Crown. Going into the playoffs D.C. was 5-30. Leaving the playoffs they are 8-31 with a regional title! This team of upper class girls stepped up their game in the playoffs to make a remarkable run. It was the first time they were in the sectional since 1996. A very impressive accomplishment for a team that struggled through a tough regular season schedule. This team got some great experience and the success they had in the playoffs has to serve as motivation for the players that will be returning to the team next year. They lost the first game by 4 points and the second game by 5 points. They clearly weren't just happy being there, they expected to win. That attitude and mental attitude will serve them well in the future. Best of luck to Dundee-Crown as they have a lot of potential for next year!

In the nightcap was the number 1 team in the nation in Cary-Grove High School. They took on the DeKalb Barbs. Going into this game it had been reported that Courtney Thomas of DeKalb had called Cary-Grove out by saying they hadn't played real competition and that their winning streak was unimpressive. Let it be known that Courtney Thomas is a nationally ranked setter, but those comments, whether serious or not, really hurt the Barbs. While they talked the talk, and their students came out to support them, they couldn't back it up. They got embarrassed in a way. That way was poor sportsmanship by the DeKalb student section. One fan in particular (who was in the front row... yes we know who you are) shined a laser pointer in the eye of a Cary-Grove player as she was attempting to serve. That is never acceptable and by high school you should know better. On the court the DeKalb Barbs put forth a great effort, but couldn't do enough to stay in either games. In the first game the problem was the serve-receive game. Colleen Smith, now nicknamed the Serve Doctor, carved up the DeKalb return game. DeKalb made adjustments in game 2, but then had trouble passing the ball and setting up their offense. When the Barbs were able to set up their offense they got some great directional hits to pick apart the Trojan defense. The problem was they weren't consistently giving Courtney Thomas a chance to set up their big offensive threats. Meanwhile Kelly Lamberti had a big night on offense. She was able to be just as effective from the back row as she was in the front row. Ashley Rosch and Allison Whimpey also had an impressive evening. The bottom line was that Cary-Grove proved to be way too much for DeKalb to handle. It is the first time in any game this postseason that we have seen one team truly dominate the entire match.

With all of that said, both student bodies did support their teams like we hadn't seen before. Besides that one display of poor sportsmanship, it was great to see DeKalb students painted in their school colors and decked out to support their team! They were loud the entire game and did all they could to try and lift the play of the team. On the other side the Trojan cheering section was unbelievable. They were dressed up in western attire and two students had toy horses that they pretended to ride. Someone should have told them Halloween ended on Sunday, but the costumes were classic and should be worn every chance they get. We awarded a fan of the game to the man leading the Cary-Grove student section in cheers and dances. It was the kind of support you dream about, but to see it at a sectional game has me excited to see what's in store once we get downstate. To all the teams that get downstate this year, we hope to see student sections going all out in support of their teams. If we see support and enthusiasm like we saw tonight, we'll be awarded a superfan of the game. That includes that chance to be interviewed LIVE on SportsTownChicago.com as well as get a free t-shirt.

Back to DeKalb, they are a young team that should be proud of a regional championship. And while Cary-Grove demonstrated why they are #1 in the nation, the Barbs should know that if they clean up their serve and serve receive game for next year, there is no reason they can't be back in this position next year and winning a game like this. They have a lot of potential and with a good offseason can easily have high goals next year. Best of luck to the Barbs of DeKalb moving forward!

That means that Hononegah will face off against Cary-Grove on Thursday Night! While we won't be there, we will be out at Romeoville for that Sectional Final!!! As always it will be broadcasted LIVE online on SportsTownChicago.com and then be available as a free downloadable podcast on SportsTownChicago.com. Again a special thanks to Maureen Lynch of the Northwest Herald for coming onto the broadcast for a few moments between games tonight!

Tomorrow we're off to College as we do a game for the Moraine Valley Cyclones!

To find out the latest SportsTownChicago.com information about IHSA girls volleyball be sure to check back here or go to SportsTownChicago.com for up the minute updates!!

We're Now Down To The Sweet 16!

Alex LoCicero (A-Lo)

Monday, November 1, 2010

Now We Play For Keeps

Tuesday 11/2 will be an exciting night! We get to cover the highest rated team in the nation in Cary-Grove High School! You don't have to take my word for it, ESPN Rise has had them ranked there for about a month.

I'm not just excited to see the Trojans in action, I am interested to see the DeKalb Barbs as well as they aren't shying away from this epic match. The word on the street is (Scuttlebutt for those over the age of 40) that the setter from DeKalb called out the Trojans. She stated that (in reference to Cary-Grove) "haven't played anyone tough all season and play in a very weak conference." Decisive words! Now I admire the courage it takes to make such a bold statement, but now can the Barbs back it up? I can see how a top team in the state could be overrated, but the top team in the nation is a whole other story. Cary-Grove won the state title last year in 4A and haven't lost a match this year, so it's hard to say that they're overrated. But just because they aren't overrated doesn't mean they're unbeatable. Anyone can beat anyone on any night, but it is going to take the best game DeKalb has ever played to bring down the best team in the nation.

It's possible, but do the Barbs have what it takes to take down #1? I don't know, that's why I just call the games and not predict them. But it should be a lot of fun to cover tomorrow night at Jacobs H.S. in Algonquin 7:00PM as the Cary-Grove Trojans take on the DeKalb Barbs. As always the game will be streaming live online at SportsTownChicago.com and will be available as a free downloadable podcast the following evening on SportsTownChicago.com

And this just in... We will be broadcasting the 1A, 2A, 3A, and 4A semi-finals and finals LIVE!!! As always those will be available as a podcast. Be sure to stay tuned to find out where will be this coming Thursday and Saturday!

Let Sectionals Begin!

Alex LoCicero (A-Lo)

Saturday, October 30, 2010

The First Hardware Is Out!

Regional Finals... time to hand out some hardware! We covered three games on SportsTownChicago.com and saw three regional champion plaques handed out. The first one went to the Lions of Lyons Township. They defeated Reavis in two games at Argo High School. Special Thanks to the A.D. Mike Sommerfeld for his help and cooperation.

While that may sound like it was an easy day, Reavis jumped out early in the first game and let it be known that they weren't going down without a fight. They played their hearts out trying to pull off the upset but couldn't overcome the height differential. Reavis had a winning record on the season and can be proud of the fact that they played for a regional title today. Best of luck to all of them in the future!

Lyons has height. That's an understatement. Jocelyn Birks and Alexis Viliunas earned the nickname the "Gruesome Twosome" in honor of halloween and their tremendous presence at the net to block opponents. When they don't block their opponent, they force them to hit it long and out. It's not just a two player team. They are deep. This team finished 2nd in State last year and is on a mission to get back to that title game this year. As long as they can improve on their serve receive there is no reason this team can't contend for a state title. Best of luck to Lyons moving forward!

The second piece of hardware given out was at Marist High School and it went to the Redhawks of Marist. They pulled out an impressive win in two games. While Lyons only has one loss on the season compared to Marist's two losses, Marist beat Lyons earlier in the year. And those two losses are to two of the best programs in the entire nation in Cary-Grove and Assumption KY. Just as we thought Lyons had height, it was clear that Marist might have even more height. Lauren Zielinski stands a towering 6'4"! She has the ability to have power hits and soft tips to keep the defense guessing. Caroline Niedosphial might be one of the best Liberos in the entire nation. She was all over the court keeping Marist's passing game in control so that they could run their aggressive offense. For them to get downstate they'll need to make sure they clean up their net play. It's not that it's sloppy, but our seats were at the middle of the scorers table and we could see a few net violations that were not called. As the playoffs progress those will be called and they'll need to make sure they don't beat themselves with those type of mistakes. Best of luck to Marist in the rest of the playoffs!

Of course someone had to play Marist in order for them to win a Regional Championship. That lucky team was Andrew. Andrew, out of Tinley Park, was highly underrated. They came in at 20-10 on the year and clearly had enough talent to pull off an upset. Elizabeth Jendra, Crystal Price, and Maureen Carls all fought tooth and nail to try and extend their season. To start each game the Thunderbolts of Andrew played well to keep it close. They communicate on defense and were not afraid attack the net. It seemed like when Andrew attacked on offense, they were able to get some points and find the open part of the court. While this team has a bunch of Seniors, they'll have a good core returning and the success of this season will help them moving forward. Best of luck next season!

The nightcap of our day was at a familiar location: Chicago Christian in Palos Heights. The Knights haven't lost a 2A game since the State Finals last year. In fact the last time they lost a 2A game before that was in the State Semi-Finals the year before. Needless to say Chicago Christian has been dominating the 2A level for the past two season. While they won a regional championship tonight, it wasn't easy. They won in two games, 25-22 and 25-20 over Mount Assisi. The Knights are led by the Sisterhood of the Traveling Kamps. Madison Kamp helped lead the team through her poise on the court when the games got close. Maggie Kamp, Stacey Kamp, Becky DeRuiter, and Emily Lindemulder brought the thunder on offense. Celaine Haan was all over the court as the Libero. This team played well enough to win, but needs to clean up their game if they want to make it back downstate. If they can clean up their serve receive and passing, there is no reason to think they can't get back downstate. Best of luck to Chicago Christian during the rest of the playoffs!

The most surprising team of the night was the Mount Assisi Eagles. As head coach Karen Van Assen said their record was a deception 9-23 as they also spend a majority of their season playing against 3A and 4A teams. The Eagles were truly poised to pull off an upset. They led in both games after trailing by several points. They were able to stick to the game plan that their head coach drew up before the game. That was to serve aggressively and use the middle of the court. Their serves proved to cause many problems for Chicago Christian and when they attacked the middle of the court they usually got a point. In the end they fell up just short, but it was quite an impressive performance on the road. The entire team can hold their heads high knowing that they have what it takes to improve for next season. A hard schedule clearly prepares them for the playoffs and they will have a about half of their team returning. The game tonight should prove to them that they can compete with a team like Chicago Christian and if they stick with their coaches strategy, they can be successful in the win column next year. Best of luck to the Eagles next year!

While we saw some great volleyball today, we'll be covering the best team in the nation in Cary-Grove on Tuesday when the playoffs continue! Be sure to check back here for the latest updates as well as check SportsTownChicago.com to download the games that we have covered and to download all the interviews that we have been conducting throughout these playoffs!

Now that the first piece of hardware is out, it's time to raise the stakes.

See you at Sectionals

Alex LoCicero (A-Lo)

Friday, October 29, 2010

Saturday October 30th we will be covering the games at Argo, Marist and Chicago Christian!!!

It should be an exciting day of playoff volleyball! Be sure to tune in and listen live on SportsTownChicago.com

The teams we will be covering: Reavis, Andrew, Mount Assisi, Lyons, Marist, and Chicago Christian!

Check back here for the latest updates to find out where we'll be next or follow us on SportsTownChicago.com!

A-Lo

Thursday, October 28, 2010

3A Isn't A Step Down In Competition Or Talent

To start with I want to congratulate the three teams that saw their season come to an end. First was the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy. They were 13-20 coming into the game and while they may have lost, they are only losing four seniors from this team. That means that a lot of experience is coming back and that experience will translate to improved communication on the court. They gave tremendous effort to try and advance in the playoffs but happened to come up a bit short. Michaela Edgars will return for her senior season and she looks poised to help this team go a lot further next year. As this was only her second year ever playing the sport, you can imagine what another offseason will do for her skills. IMSA showed great sportsmanship and positive attitudes as they never hung their heads. I want to wish them all the best of luck in the future!

Next we had Riverside/Brookfield losing in the second match to Queen of Peace. The Bulldogs came out strong in the first game. They used their height advantage to help them at the net and make it a very competitive first set. I remember turning to Mighty Matt after the first set and mentioning how surprised I was that both of these teams would meet in the first round. As records can clearly be deceiving, especially in the playoffs. The second set wasn't so competitive, but it was not to the fault of the Bulldogs. Queen of Peace came out with 15 points in a row (holding serve the entire time) and part of it was a controversial call that was reversed to go in favor of the Pride of Queen of Peace. That play ended up changing the momentum and the Bulldogs were never able to recover. Riverside/Brookfield can hold their heads high as they never quit. They pulled off a few points at the end to show that they weren't going quietly. This was a young team that will have a bright future and I want to wish them the best of luck next season!

The last team that had their season come to an end before our eyes (that pun was for Dr. Pete and Mighty Matt) was Elmwood Park. They had a bittersweet night. They won the first match of the night against IMSA but then fell in the last match of the night to the host team St. Francis. Elmwood Park came into the night at 8-23 and were the clear underdog in the building. Coach Maggie White was confident that her team was going to put forth their best effort and boy was she right! The Tigers were diving all over the court in both matches trying to extend their season. They can be proud to know that they won a playoff game and send their seniors out with that accomplishment. With only four juniors on the team, this playoff win was huge for their program. It gives the returning players confidence and shows the sophomores that they have the ability to win playoff games. Best of luck to the Tigers in the future!

And then we have the two teams that advance to face one another on Saturday! Queen of Peace and St. Francis. Before I break down each team, I want to congratulate each of them on a win. While they were supposed to win, they each won convincingly and did what they were supposed to do. That doesn't always happen in the playoffs, so props to both teams being prepared and focused on tonight's games. Both teams are polar opposites. Queen of Peace is an undersized, speedy, agile, and finesse team while St. Francis is a powerful, aggressive, and physical team. St. Francis brings the thunder and has two great front line players in Meg Vonderhaar and Daiva White. They will continue to attack the net and bring power hits to try and put Queen of Peace away. Queen of Peace knows that they are undersized and use it to their advantage. They hit to the open spot on the court and use that directional hitting to beat taller opponents. This match up will come down to which team can trust in their game plan the most and execute it. Throw the records and history out, the team that wants it more on Saturday will win. While we won't be able to cover this game, it should be a dandy to watch! We wish both of teams best of luck and hope to see one of them downstate!

Dr. Pete got another shirt!! This time from St. Francis so shout out to Theresa Katarzynski!!! And of course another mention and shout out to Daiva White for throwing Mighty Matt the eyeball! We now have an eye on the State Title and hope to see some familiar faces down there with us!

The teams we will see on Saturday will have a lot of pressure to bring their A game as we saw two very talented teams bring theirs tonight! We will be at Argo to see Lyons, one of the top teams in the nation! We'll follow that up by seeing the only team to beat them this year in Marist at Marist! It should be one great day of volleyball!

Aloha to Mighty Matt, and we'll see you for the prime time games in a week!

Remember to check out SportsTownChicago.com to download all the podcasts and to see video highlights from all of the games we cover!

A-Lo

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Put Up Or Go Home

There is nothing like a playoff game! The crowd is excited, the teams are full of energy and anticipation, and the tension is so thick you can cut it with a feather! Wednesday night at Plainfield South was exactly like that.

In the first game Plainfield South jumped out to a quick start in the first set. Bolingbrook fought their way back to take the first two sets and live to see another opponent. During that first match both teams flew all over the court trying to will their teams to victory. Plainfield South may have lost the first game, but it was not due to a lack of effort or passion. They were doing all they could to extend their season, but in the end came up short. They are a young team with lots to look forward to. As hard as it is to take a playoff loss at home, they had tremendous sportsmanship and class to stick around and watch the second game! I want to wish them the best of luck next season as they will return the majority of their roster.

Bolingbrook brought the power in the first game as Ciara Hill was a force to be reckoned with. She was one of the best outside hitters we've seen this year. After the first game Dr. Pete and I wondered how having to play two playoff games in one night would effect the Raiders of Bolingbrook. As it turned out it had a noticeable impact. Bolingbrook fought tooth and nail in the second game against Waubonsie Valley but they clearly were a half a step slower than in the first game. They didn't lose because of a lack of effort or desire, but because they were running on fumes by the second set of the second game.

Meanwhile Waubonsie Valley used their height advantage to jump out on Bolingbrook early on in both sets. They were very poised on the court and showed great maturity as a team. They had to wait around to play this game and they did not let the wait interfere with their focus and discipline. In the playoffs it's easy to get over anxious and try and force hits that aren't there, but this team was patient and it paid off. They didn't put themselves in an opportunity to beat themselves and that was important. By getting the ball in play and forcing Bolingbrook to have to exert extra energy helped wear down their opponent. Since Waubonsie Valley was on fresh legs they had no problem outlasting their opponent.

The Bolingbrook Red Raiders are a very young team and showed some great poise out on the court tonight! More importantly they showed a lot of heart and a lot of desire. There is no doubt that this team is capable of great things next year. Waubonsie Valley gets to live to fight another day. They now get to wait around to find out who they play next, best of luck to the Warriors moving forward!

Tonight was a blast to call with Dr. Pete as we had a lot of fun coming up with some new and exciting calls. Mighty Matt Malich rejoins us tomorrow night as we are at Wheaton, St. Francis to call all the games at that location tomorrow night! As always this broadcast will be up for a free download on SportsTownChicago.com and tomorrow night we stream live starting at 5:45 PM.

If tonight was any indication, tomorrow will be quite intense!

A-Lo

It's Playoff Time!!!

The first playoff games are tonight!!! We're going to be at Plainfield South High School tonight to cover the Plainfield South v. Bolingbrook game tonight followed by the winner of that game against Waubonsie Valley! It should be a great night as there is nothing like a playoff atmosphere and the chance at an upset. While seeding is all well and good, every game is a must win and there is always the possibility of a Cinderella story!

Catch the games live tonight on SportsTownChicago.com and they will be up as a free downloadable podcast tomorrow for those of you who can't listen live... or for you coaches that want to scout upcoming opponents.

Tomorrow we also have an interview with Tony Baranek of the SouthTown Star!! That interview will also be up as a downloadable podcast as he will talk about Marist, Mother McAuley, Chicago Christian and Lockport East and Lockport Central!!! He'll also give us his take on the hot topic of the "net" rule that is different in Club play and School play!

Tomorrow Night we'll be at Wheaton St. Francis covering those games!!

Stay tuned to find out where we'll be on Saturday! (Rumors are that we'll be out in Argo)

For all SportsTownChicago.com HS Volleyball Playoff Coverage stay tuned here or to SportsTownChicago.com!!! Remember Tonight 6:00 PM and 7:00 PM we'll have live calls from Dr. Pete, A-Lo, and Danny V

Let The Games Begin!

A-Lo

Monday, October 25, 2010

A special thank you to everyone who helped out and participated in our special IHSA Girls Volleyball Playoff Preview show!!!!

Thank you to Dr. Pete and Mighty Matt Malich for joining the show!

Danny V for helping run the show!

Special Thanks to Maureen Lynch of the Northwest Herald for joining us in studio!

And of course thank you to those who allowed us to interview them:

Joann Pyritz: Lyons Head Coach

Patty Langanis: Cary-Grove Head Coach

Brad Baker: Benet Academy Head Coach

Phil Brozynski: Sun-Times and YourSeason.com sportswriter

For those of you who missed this special show it is up on SportsTownChicago.com as a FREE podcast!

Stay tuned here to HSVChicago.blogspot.com to find out what games we'll be covering this postseason or check out SportsTownChicago.com for the latest up to the minutes updates.

A-Lo

Sunday, October 24, 2010

To The Whistle Special Illinois HS Volleyball Playoff Preview Show!

Monday Morning 9:30-11:00 AM we are having a special Illinois High School Girls Volleyball Playoff Preview Show!!!

Danny V and I (A-Lo) have been calling play by play for many of these teams and decided to give them a special show to help showcase a sport that is underrepresented.

Head Coach Patty Langanis of Cary-Grove is calling in at 9:40 AM

Maureen Lynch, Sportswriter from the Northwest Herald will be in studio from 10 AM - 11AM

Head Coach J0ann Pyritz of Lyons Township will be interviewed

Head Coach Brad Baker of Benet Academy will be interviewed

Phil Brozynski of the Sun-Times and YourSeason.com will also be interviewed.

Joining Danny V and A-Lo will be Mighty Matt Malich, who does play by play with Dr. Pete!

It will be one exciting preview show! Be sure to tune in from 9:30 AM -11:00 AM Monday October 25th on SportsTownChicago.com

If you want to listen, but are unable to listen in live the entire show will be up as a FREE downloadable podcast on SportsTownChicago.com by Tuesday October 26th!

Friday, October 22, 2010

October 25th Playoff Special

We’re Talking Playoffs!!! That’s right! This Monday morning I (A-Lo) am dedicating my show to previewing and talking about the Illinois High School Girls Playoffs. The show is To The Whistle on SportsTownChicago.com from 9:30 AM- 11:00 AM. We will be interviewing local and national sportswriters, head volleyball coaches, and maybe even a player or two! Be sure to tune in Monday Morning for an event that will have you ready for the postseason!

Spirit Night At Moraine Valley

In our second-ever collegiate coverage of women's volleyball we were at Moraine Valley Community College as they took on Harper College. I want to thank everyone at Moraine Valley for their cooperation for allowing us to broadcast the game!

Both teams were incredibly excited to play last night as the regular season was winding down. Moraine Valley was coming off a rough tournament in Wisconsin as they went 1-5 over the weekend. Those were their first losses of the season as they had won their first 25 games. We were wondering if the team had hit a wall, especially after dropping the first set, but they recovered to win the game in four sets. They played with a lot of heart and a lot of energy.

On the other side of the court Harper College was having a great year of their own as they were 26-14 entering the night. They came out with a few new offensive attacks in the front court and they proved to pay off. Instead of constant aggressive attacks, they varied it up with many soft tips. That change of pace was a major reason they won the first set. And while they may have lost the game, they fought tooth and nail to try and force a fifth set. It was clear from watching the Hawks play that they will have success in the postseason.

As always it was a great time calling the game with Dr. Pete and Mighty Matt and we look forward to seeing these two teams in the near future!

A-Lo

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Digg For The Cure

I want to start off by thanking everyone at Judson University for their warm hospitality and cooperation! It was Digg for the Cure night for the Judson University Eagles as they played a friendly non-conference match against University of Wisconsin-Parkside. Both teams aren't even from the same class, one is D II the other is D III. But last night none of that mattered as the proceeds from the game went to help fund the fight against breast cancer. Both teams wore pink uniforms to show their support and Judson University sold pink t-shirts and hats to help raise money for breast cancer research and even all of us at SportsTownChicago.com wore pink shirts to show our support! After all, real men wear pink!

As for the game itself it was a great atmosphere! The student section was supportive throughout all four sets! While Judson University dropped another game to go to 2-16 overall, they have a lot to look forward to. A young team, only two seniors, means that they'll have a lot of experience coming back next year! It will also be coach Pearce's third year as head coach, and that's when results start to show for head coaches. The Eagles should hold their head high as they were able to win the first set agaist the D II Rangers. They also played the next three sets tough and demonstrated that they are very close to seeing results in the win column!

As for the University of Wisconsin-Parkside Rangers, they are a very talented and youthful team. It was good of them to travel down to Elgin to play a friendly match for breast cancer! Addie Kramer was a force from the right side as the southpaw was able to nail her spike every time she got a good set. Adrienne Uthe and Cayla Flood also had great poise for freshmen, a sign that this team will be even better the next few seasons.

Earlier in the day we did a special DinnerTime Live from the Judson University Cafeteria. It was a great time talking about the seasons of both teams, but more importantly we got to hype up Digg for the Cure night with the fans! During that special hour of broadcasting, we got to see the closeness the students have with one another at Judson. The soccer team had just finished a game and were eating with the rest of the students while still wearing their uniforms. The volleyball team was eating when the cafeteria opened and were able to talk with the students before they had to get over to the gym. That close atmosphere made it fun for us and we appreciate them letting us into that environment!

Thank You Again For the Wonderful Day At Judson University!

Alex LoCicero (A-Lo)

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Competition Night In Lisle!

Let me start off this post by thanking everyone at Benet Academy in Lisle for their warm hospitality and cooperation these past two days! On Monday Afternoon we held a lunchroom live special and had lots of excitement and participation from the students. It's always great to interview coaches and the players, but when we get a chance to interact with the entire student body we get a great sense of what the school is all about. Benet Academy is about community and togetherness. The volleyball team came up to be interviewed as an entire group. As intimidating as it was to Dr. Pete, Danny V, and Myself, we realized that these girls were great friends off the court. As the were up interviewing the students were tuning into what the players were saying and reacting accordingly. We then challenged the students to show up and go all out in support of their team with the best decked out fan being declared the super-fan and winning a t-shirt! I originally offered to put their picture on the sportstownchicago.com website, but Dr. Pete upped the offer to a free t-shirt! As if that wasn't enough Courtney Cross from ICB-TV filmed the winning students as I am proud to say that five students showed up with BENET painted on their chests.

Not only was the student support great, but the entire volleyball program was on hand while the Varsity took on Bishop Mac. It was competition night for coach Brad Baker and his squad. Unlike other nights, it was a chance for the starters to sit and the reserves and underclassmen to step up and show everyone their talents. Coach Baker started the tradition when he came to Benet Academy 4 years ago as a way to reward those that worked hard, sacrificed, and dedicated their time and effort to getting better each and everyday. The players that were out there for Benet Academy were more than talented enough to be starters and it was clear that they had earned the right to play.

On the other side of the court was Bishop Mac. A program that is the epitomy of competition. Head Coach April Bufford said before the game that while their record may not be the best, her Fightin' Irish were large in heart and character. On the court Bishop Mac was battling point for point with Benet trying to upset a Top 10 team on the road. Not an easy task to do, and it was compounded with one of the loudest gyms for high school volleyball. Game 1 didn't go as planned for Bishop Mac, but they didn't go away with out a fight. They fought back in Game 2 to put the pressure on the home team. While the Fightin' Irish lost the game, there are plenty of positives to take away from the game. They have a young team that started out slow, but as the game progressed they gained confidence in their ability and their timing seemed more in sync. As I Called commentary and analysis for the JV/Sophomore game I noticed that this same trend existed with the underclassmen. With some offseason repetitions and some time for this team to grow together, it isn't too hard to imagine them becoming a team above .500! More importantly they should know that they are very capable of knocking off a higher seed in the state playoffs if they play like they did in the second game.

While Bishop Mac has good reason to hold their heads high and look forward to the future, Benet Academy has good reason to have high expectations going into the post-season. Both programs were competitive while remaining classy and that makes it a lot of fun as a broadcaster!

Best of Luck to Both Programs!

A-Lo

If you would like sportstownchicago.com to cover your High School sporting event, contact us at SportsTownChicago.com, or BeOnAir.com, or you can even call us at 630 916-1700

We'll See You At Judson University Tomorrow Night!

(That's Right We Also Cover College Athletics!)

Monday, October 18, 2010

That's Why They Play The Game!

WOW! What a game at Naperville North High School tonight! The Huskies (15-13) entered their game against West Chicago (26-2) as the clear cut underdogs, but as the old cliche goes: that's why they play the game!

Keep in mind West Chicago had already won the DuPage Valley Conference (DVC) by going 12-0 in conference play before this match. In fact the Wildcats of West Chicago were unbeaten until they played in the Autumnfest tournament last weekend. Just because they had wrapped up their conference title, the first one in 31 years I might add, it didn't stop the team from playing their hearts out. This was one of those matches that sticks with you forever. It was about pure competition at its finest. The only thing West Chicago and Naperville North had to play for was respect and bragging rights. But that's what sport is all about!

Senior Captain Sarah Hasselhorst and Senior Libero Jessie Fiala led the Huskies to their biggest win of not only their season, but of their high school careers. Hasselhorst had missed the majority of the regular season (about 7 weeks in all) with broken fingers. Not the way she wanted to spend her Senior year, but with little to play for she stepped up in her second game back from the injury to provide some much needed leadership to a young Naperville North team. While Hasselhorst spent her time up front, it was Jessie Fiala spending most of the time digging an onslaught of spikes sent her way. Her play allowed Naperville North to withstand the aggressive and powerful attacks West Chicago had all night. Junior Ashley Crawford was also key in the victory as she had to return some of the best serves I've seen all season.

It wasn't as though Naperville North dominated this game. West Chicago played their hearts out and until the final point was scored, it felt like they were poised to make a comeback. Julia Conard and Kathy Fletcher played with a sense of urgency and did all they could to try and remain unbeaten in conference play. Emily Paschke and Andrea Skipor, the West Chicago Wall, were getting their hands on almost every block they went for. The only problem was that the ball was not bouncing their way. A clear sign that it was not their night. Even with breaks going against them, West Chicago remained poised and fought back to play a third game for the ages. They may have lost the match to Naperville North, but it's hard not to be impressed with their heart and determination.

West Chicago has a lot of positive things going for them, and they deserve more respect than they are given. They have some of the hardest working players in the state and some very passionate and dedicated coaches. Meanwhile Naperville North also has a talented coaching staff and a very bright future. With their underclassmen performing very well this season, it's not hard to imagine them being in West Chicago's shoes in the very near future.

I thought I was ready for the postseason before this match, but afterwards I couldn't be more excited to see some top notch volleyball!

I only hope those games come half as close to the excitement that this game had!

Best of Luck to Naperville North and West Chicago moving forward!

A-Lo

P.S. See You At Benet Academy In Lisle, IL Tomorrow Night!!!

Friday, October 15, 2010

What Does It Take To Be # 1?

Besides that awful reference to a Nelly song, Cary-Grove has what it takes to be the number 1 team in the nation. Or as I like to say the fighting Cary Grants! The sensational net play by Kelly Lamberti and leadership by Colleen Smith is unrivaled at the high school level. I could go on about how talented and well-prepared this team is, but more impressive was the support they got from their fan base. There were cut-out cardboard heads of Kelly Lamberti in the crowd and the student section was going crazy the entire game. The entire Cary-Grove team took the time to high five the fans after their win.

Even before the game the team was interacting with their fans and getting them all worked up by throwing out t-shirts during the line-ups. If you don't think it was crazy, just ask Dr. Pete how loud he had to yell just to get a shirt from his new best friend!

This may have been the first game that Danny V and myself (A-Lo) got to call, but it was certainly not the first high school volleyball game either of us has attended.

We might have been spoiled by covering the best team in the nation, but right now I'm posing a challenge to Benet Academy, where we'll be broadcasting their volleyball game on Tuesday, October 19th. I want to know if their fans are as passionate as the fans in Cary-Grove!!! Don't just wear school colors and cheer, go all out and paint your faces and yell as loud as you can. Keep the cheers PG of course! And the best decked out fan will get a picture with the announcers and have it posted online!!

Best of Luck to Cary-Grove And We'll See You At Benet Academy In Lisle!
A-Lo

Cary Grove IS #1!!!

WOW what a game we saw last night. Yours Truly Dr. Pete, Mighty Matt Malich, Danny V and A-LO saw a truly dominant performance.

From the onset of the first game there was no dought that Cary Grove had the friendship and passion to lead them all to work together to be the best they can be. Matt phrased it best with "their communcation was key." To that I truly agree. Cary Grove yelled loudly enough and communicated enough that even I would be able to set up one of their Outside Hitters (back in my prime of course).

Speaking with coach after the game, Matt brought up a solid point with how all 5 hitters are used, which is not typically seen till the collegiate level but coach Langanis empahsized this teamwork from the onset of the season.

McHenry did all they could in order to survive but fell short in their attempt, but they put forth a valiant effort admist the storm that was the "great wall of Cary" which Matt coined.

I must say I do apprecaite the nicknames we come up with!

"Dr." Pete (even though I have my doctorate)
"Mighty" Matt Malich
A-Lo - Alex Locicero
"sisterhood of the traveling Kamps" - Chicago Chrsitian
"Great wall of Cary" - Cary-Grove

Looking forward to seeing both these teams down the road, and again if interseted in a career in broadcasting, go to beonair.com or call 630.916.1700

Thursday, October 14, 2010

First one Welcome

Hey everyone Dr. Pete here and I want to welcome you to the new HS Volleyball blog brought to you by SportsTownChicago.com WICB and the beonair.com Network!

Tonight we get to cover the #1 team in the Rankings based on YourSeason.com - Cary Grove. It will be great to see this team in person as we have spoken with so many other teams, to see the top dawg will be a treat!

We do want to thank Dr. Mcgovern of Marian Central for allowing us to cover their game last night.
Check out SportsTownChicago for FREE downloadable podcasts!

If you are interested in a career in broadcasting check out beonair.com.