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)
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