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Class 1A, 2A, 3A and 4A Seventh Grade Girls Volleyball State Final
Tournament play begins Saturday. Quarterfinal matches will begin in
the morning and semifinal matches in the late afternoon. Results
will be available from
www.iesa.org.
For just the second time in Illinois Elementary School Association
history, four champions will be crowned in the state tournament
series. Competition in the four classes concludes Tuesday at four
sites.
Class 1A will be hosted by Illiopolis Sangamon Valley. Class 2A
will be played at Pawnee High School. Assumption Central A & M
Junior High School will be the site for Class 3A. Bloomington Junior
High School will host Class 4A.
The time schedule for all four tournaments will be the same.
Quarterfinals will be played Saturday, with the first of four games
beginning at 10 a.m. The four quarterfinal winners will meet in
semifinal matches Saturday afternoon, with the first of two matches
set to begin at 3 p.m. Third-place and championship matches will be
played Tuesday, with the third-place match set for 6 p.m. and the
championship match scheduled for 7:30.
The price of admission Saturday is $7 for adults, $3 for seniors
62 and over and students K-8, and is good for all matches Saturday.
Children younger than kindergarten are admitted free. Fans attending
the matches Saturday will receive a wristband that is to be worn all
day and will be used for entry into the facility throughout the day.
The price of admission for the third-place and championship match
session Thursday will be $5 for adults and $2 for seniors and
students K-8. Children younger than kindergarten again are admitted
free.
IESA volleyball competition for girls began in 1976. There was
one-class competition from 1976 to 1984, and in 1985 the state
series was divided into Class A and Class AA by school size. From
1989 to 2006, there were Class A and Class AA state series for both
seventh grade and eighth grade. Beginning in 2007, the seventh-grade
and eighth-grade series have four classes each.
Complete pairings for each state final, plus the FanZone, can be
found at www.iesa.org. Click on
the
"Volleyball" line in the orange box at the top of the IESA home
page.
Here is a look at each of the four seventh-grade state
tournaments:
Class 1A
Defending champion Hartsburg-Emden and unbeaten Streator Woodland
(20-0) top the field for the Class 1A tournament. Both are in the
lower bracket.
The eight teams have a combined won-loss record of 117-33, a
winning percentage of .780.
Grayville (8-4) meets Bowen Southeastern (12-5) in the first
quarterfinal game Saturday at 10 a.m. Kincaid South Fork (20-1)
faces Buckley St. John's (7-13) in the second quarterfinal at 11:15
a.m. Then Streator Woodland squares off against Waverly (19-5) at
12:30 p.m. Hartsburg-Emden (16-2) battles Marseilles Milton Pope
(16-3) at 1:45 p.m.
Ten of the 15 players on the Grayville team are sixth-grade
students, and eight players on the roster are shorter than 5-0. The
Bison do have 5-6 Shelby McGarvey and 5-6 Whitney Beck, both
sixth-graders, among the middle hitters.
Tallest players for Bowen Southeastern are 5-5 middle hitter
Kayla Twidell and 5-5 outside hitter Ashlan Taylor.
Kincaid South Fork is appearing in the state final for the second
straight year. The Ponies lost to eventual champion Hartsburg-Emden
in the quarterfinals last year. The only loss this season was to
Greenview. Kincaid South Fork has a seven-player rotation. Seven of
the 11 players on the volleyball roster played on the school's
seventh-grade girls basketball team that finished third in Class 2A
last December.
Buckley St. John's has only two players on the roster taller than
5-3. They are 5-5 setter Kayla Cowan and 5-5 middle hitter Kennedy
Witheft. The Eagles started the regional as the No. 2 seed and took
a 3-13 record into it. They beat Rossville-Alvin 25-6, 25-6 in their
first match, then Crescent City 25-16, 25-6 in the semifinals and
finally No. 1 seed Gifford 25-16, 25-15 in the regional final.
Buckley St. John's stopped Royal Prairie View 25-14, 25-8 in the
sectional.
Streator Woodland can put a front line of 5-9 middle hitter
Cheyenne Meredith, 5-8 middle hitter Alana Reihl and 5-6 middle
hitter Addison Kirchner on the floor.
Waverly advanced from the sectional with a 25-18, 18-25, 26-24
win over East St. Louis Jackson. The Scotties can put a front row of
5-7 outside hitter Sydney Timmons, 5-6 middle hitter Christina
Clark, and Tori Barnard, Josie Mutch or Mariah Maher, all three 5-5,
on the floor.
Hartsburg-Emden came from a one-game deficit to oust perennial
powerhouse Peoria Limestone Walters 23-25, 25-12, 25-14, in the
sectional. Coach Jennifer Hayes returned both of her setters from
last year's seventh-grade title team. They are 5-5 Erin Rankin and
5-3 Jessie Eeten. The Stags can use 5-10 Sydni Rohlfs, 5-9 Samantha
Swart, 5-9 Alicia Clark and 5-8 Faith Jones at the net. Eeten and
Rankin served for 11 and six points, respectively, in the Hartsburg-Emden
quarterfinal win over Kincaid South Fork last year. Rohlfs served
for 13 points and Swart one in the same game.
Marseilles Milton Pope has only eight players on the roster, but
the Pilots have height. Front-liners include 5-10 middle hitter
Aspen Stuedemann, 5-8 middle hitter Nicole Pihl and 5-8 outside
hitter Mady Toynton.
Of the 93 players listed on the rosters of the finalists, four
are fifth-graders, 22 are sixth-graders and 67 are seventh-graders.
In IESA competition, school enrollments are determined by the
students in seventh and eighth grade. Class 1A is the smallest
class. The combined enrollment of the eight Class 1A finalists is
426. Enrollments of the eight finalists are as follows: Buckley St.
John's 25, Hartsburg-Emden 40, Marseilles Milton Pope 49, Grayville
47, Kincaid South Fork 59, Streator Woodland 65, Waverly 70 and
Bowen Southeastern 71.
Class 2A
Mount Pulaski and Lewistown Central have advanced to the state
final for the second straight year, and that experience might be the
key factor in what appears to be a wide-open race to the title.
Mount Pulaski finished third last year.
Oakland Lake Crest (17-7) meets Normal Epiphany (15-6) in the
first quarterfinal match at 10 a.m. Saturday. Grant Park (13-10)
faces Mount Pulaski (14-8) in the second match at 11:15 a.m. Then
Mendon Unity (18-3) plays Albion (14-5) at 12:30 p.m. In the 1:45
p.m. match, Raymond Lincolnwood (19-5) battles Lewistown Central
(13-9).
The Tri-County co-op team of Oakland Lake Crest and Kansas beat
the odds in advancing to the state tournament. The Titans were
fourth-seeded in the regional and beat Homer Heritage 25-14, 25-8 in
their first regional game. Then No. 1 seed Chrisman Scottland fell
25-14, 17-25, 25-14 in the semifinals. Finally, No. 2 seed Paris
Crestwood was beaten 25-8, 25-11. In the sectional, the Titans beat
Decatur Holy Family 25-7, 25-14. Seven of the 13 players on the
roster are sixth-graders. Tallest squad members are 5-6 outside
hitter Kassidy Hunt and 5-6 middle hitter Kyla Skinner.
Normal Epiphany finished fourth in the rugged Sangamon Valley
Conference and is peaking at the right time. The Knights are short,
with only 5-7 middle hitter Megan O'Donnell taller than 5-5 on a
13-player squad. Normal Epiphany beat Roanoke-Benson 25-22, 25-21
for the regional title and then Champaign St. Matthew 20-25, 25-23,
25-21 in the sectional.
Grant Park has 11 players on its roster, with 5-9 Melissa
Crivokapich and 5-7 Raelynn Parmely at middle hitter.
Perennial power Mount Pulaski, the all-time IESA girls volleyball
leader in state tournament matches played (91) and state tournament
wins (74), was third in last year's inaugural Class 3A state final.
Coach Donna Dulle has a squad of 15, including one fifth-grader,
seven sixth-graders and seven seventh-graders. Only 5-6 middle
hitter Rachel Durchholz and 5-5 outside hitter Cady Lowery are
taller than 5-4.
Mendon Unity has plenty of size in 5-8 outside hitter Katelyn
Metzger, 5-7 outside hitter Shelby Hilgenbrink, 5-7 setter Brooklyn
Moore, 5-6 setter Breanne Begeman, 5-6 outside hitter Deborah
Blickhan and 5-6 outside hitter Megan Anderson. The Colts scrambled
to get to the state tournament, with all their state series matches
going three games. They beat Liberty 12-25, 25-21, 25-11 and
Kinderhook Western 23-25, 25-22, 25-21 in the regional before
beating Colchester West Pike 25-27, 25-23, 25-21 in the sectional.
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Albion was the No. 2 seed in the regional, and after beating
Effingham St. Anthony 25-17, 25-17 in the semifinals, the Lions
stopped Dieterich 25-22, 25-17. Albion beat Windsor in the
weather-delayed sectional 25-22, 25-17 Wednesday night. Six of the
15 players on the Albion roster are 5-6 or taller. The Lions can use
5-6 outside hitter Sequoyah Henderson, 5-7 middle hitter Rebecca
Winemiller, 5-6 outside hitter Maia Atteberry, 5-7 middle hitter
Melissa Moody, 5-6 outside hitter Ashley Gillard or 5-7 middle
hitter Dionna Dawson in combination at the net.
Raymond Lincolnwood battled back to beat Pawnee in the regional
final 22-25, 25-17, 27-25 and then beat Greenfield 22-25, 25-11,
25-22 Wednesday in the weather-delayed sectional. The Knights have
size at the net, with 5-8 middle hitter Gabby Johnson, 5-7 middle
hitter Kayla Payne, 5-7 middle hitter Anne Weitekamp and 5-8 setter
Marissa Greenwalt.
Lewistown Central has six players 5-5 or taller, with 5-8 middle
hitter Brianna Hobbs the tallest at 5-8. The Indians were top-seeded
in the regional but beat Elmwood 23-25, 25-23, 25-15 in the regional
semifinals before posting a 25-21, 25-21 win over Princeville in the
regional title match. At the sectional, Lewistown beat Peoria Hollis
25-15, 25-27, 26-24.
The combined won-loss record of the eight finalists is 123-53, a
winning percentage of .698.
Of the 108 players listed on the rosters of the finalists, one is
a fifth-grader, 34 are sixth-graders and 73 are seventh-graders.
In IESA competition, school enrollments are determined by the
students in seventh and eighth grade. Class 2A is the second
smallest class. Enrollments of the eight finalists are as follows:
Mount Pulaski 75, Raymond Lincolnwood 80, Grant Park 90, Tri-County
Coop 90, Mendon Unity 98, Normal Epiphany 98, Albion 100 and
Lewistown Central 114.
Class 3A
Five of the eight finalists in Class 3A come into the state
tournament with two or fewer losses, led by undefeated Chillicothe
(25-0). Moreover, the first quarterfinal match pits last year's
Class 3A champion Glasford Illini Bluffs (18-5) against last year's
runner-up, Chillicothe.
Chillicothe plays Glasford Illini Bluffs at 10 a.m. Saturday. In
quarterfinal match No. 2, Mackinaw Dee-Mack (24-1) meets Downs
Tri-Valley (16-8) at 11:15 a.m. Staunton (19-2) battles Lockport
Kelvin Grove (18-2) at 12:30 p.m. Shelbyville Moulton (15-2) squares
off against Riverton (17-4) at 1:45 p.m.
The combined won-loss record of the eight is 152-24, a winning
percentage of .864. Downs Tri-Valley is also in the state tournament
for the second straight year. Downs Tri-Valley lost a three-game
match to Beardstown GS in last year's quarterfinals.
Two years ago Chillicothe brought an unbeaten record into the
final Class AA seventh-grade state tournament and lost the title
match to Mason City Illini Central 21-9, 21-6 to finish 28-1. Last
year Chillicothe lost 25-21, 25-12 in the title match to Glasford
Illini Bluffs. Chillicothe came back from a 25-17 first-game loss to
Eureka in the regional title match to win the last two games 25-22,
26-24. Chillicothe coach Sara Kinney uses a 10-player rotation, and
the Mustangs play a tough schedule against many Class 4A teams and
the perennial powers in the other classes. Chillicothe has height,
with five players on the roster 5-5 or taller. Tallest is outside
hitter Laura Hedden at 5-8.
Glasford Illini Bluffs went unbeaten at 26-0 and won the
seventh-grade Class 2A girls basketball state championship in
December. Ten members of that title team are on the volleyball team.
Glasford Illini Bluffs beat Avon 25-16, 24-26, 25-19 for the
regional title and came back with a 26-24, 23-25, 25-17 win over
Havana in the sectional. Six of the 15 players on the volleyball
team are 5-5 or taller. Outside hitter Taylor McClintock at 5-7 is
the tallest.
Mackinaw Dee-Mack has lost only to Hartsburg-Emden this season.
Of the 11 players on the Braves roster, only two -- 5-7 middle
hitter Nicole Welch and 5-6 middle hitter Jamie Grethey -- are
taller than 5-4. Mackinaw Dee-Mack makes up for its lack of height
with quickness and defense.
Downs Tri-Valley was seeded third in its regional and overcame a
first-game loss to next-door neighbor LeRoy in a three-game regional
title match. Downs Tri-Valley won the match 19-25, 25-20, 25-20. The
Vikings beat Watseka Glenn Raymond 25-18, 26-24 to win the
sectional. Six of the 13 players on the roster are 5-5 or taller.
Setter Stefanie Sanidas is the tallest member of the team at 5-8.
Staunton has 5-7 Kelly Best and 5-6 Sophie Fairman as outside
hitters and no others on the 15-player roster taller than 5-5. The
Terriers were another sectional champion, winning a three-game
match. Staunton beat perennial rival Gillespie 25-21, 12-25, 25-23
for the sectional title.
Only four of the 14 players on the Lockport Kelvin Grove roster
are taller than 5-4. Tallest is middle hitter Lauren Rogalny at 5-7.
The Hornets were taken to three games in their regional tournament
debut, beating Lansing Heritage 25-8, 22-25, 25-6 in the semifinals.
Since then they've not been challenged. Lockport Kelvin Grove beat
Herscher Limestone 25-19, 25-11 in the sectional.
Shelbyville Moulton has the tallest team in the tournament. Seven
of the 13 players on the roster are 5-6 or taller. The tallest Rams
are 5-9 outside hitter Abbie Watton and 5-9 middle hitter Taylor
Wilcox. Allisa Hudson and Grace Moll are 5-8 middle hitters.
Shelbyville Moulton is another of the sectional winners that had to
come from behind to advance to the state tournament, beating
Casey-Westfield 11-25, 26-24, 25-18.
Riverton's tallest player is 5-6 sixth-grade defensive specialist
Carlie Cuffle. All the rest of the Hawks are 5-4 or shorter.
Resurging Riverton had a tough road to the state tournament, beating
Pleasant Plains 25-17, 23-25, 25-21 in the regional semifinals,
beating Lincoln JHS 25-16, 25-22 in the regional final and beating
Blue Mound Meridian 25-23, 25-22 in the sectional.
Of the 109 players listed on the rosters of the finalists, none
are fifth-graders, 15 are sixth-graders and 94 are seventh-graders.
In IESA competition, school enrollments are determined by the
students in seventh and eighth grade. Seventh-grade Class 3A is the
second-largest class. Enrollments of the eight finalists are as
follows: Glasford Illini Bluffs 141, Mackinaw Dee-Mack 160, Downs
Tri-Valley 167, Lockport Kelvin Grove 175, Shelbyville Moulton 187,
Chillicothe 188, Staunton 192 and Riverton 223.
Class 4A
Undefeated Homer Glen Homer (21-0) heads a field of eight teams
with a combined won-loss record of 143-34, a winning percentage of
.808.
Three of the eight finalists are making their second appearance
in the 4A state final. Lansing Memorial finished third last year,
while Homer Glen Homer and Chatham Glenwood were quarterfinalists.
Homer Glen Homer faces Chatham Glenwood (20-2) in the first
quarterfinal match Saturday at 10 a.m. Then Edwardsville Lincoln
(17-5) meets Minooka (19-5) at 11:15 a.m. Bloomington JHS (16-7)
plays Frankfort Summit Hill (17-6) at 12:30 p.m. In the last
quarterfinal, Lansing Memorial (15-7) battles Mattoon (18-2).
There are two 6-0 middle hitters among the eight finalists: Homer
Glen Homer has Alyssa Maloney and Frankfort Summit Hill has Danielle
Todd.
Frankfort Summit Hill and Bloomington JHS also played in the
Class 4A state basketball tournament in December. Bloomington JHS
took second place and Frankfort Summit Hill finished third. Middle
hitter, Danielle Todd, outside hitter Taylor Schissler and outside
hitter Kayla Manthei played on the Summit Hill basketball team. Four
Bloomington JHS basketball players are on the volleyball team. They
are 5-6 middle hitter Alexis Martinez, 5-6 defensive specialist
Danielle Davis, 5-9 middle hitter Mary Lawrence and 5-9 middle
hitter Molly Lawrence. All four were starters on the basketball
team.
Two of the finalists battled through three games in the sectional
to advance to the state final. Lansing Memorial beat Calumet City
Wentworth 25-7, 23-25, 25-22. Edwardsville Lincoln beat East St.
Louis Clark 26-24, 18-25, 25-16 in the weather-delayed match played
Wednesday.
Of the 115 players listed on the rosters of the finalists, all
are seventh-graders.
In IESA competition, school enrollments are determined by the
students in seventh and eighth grade. Seventh-grade Class 4A is the
largest class. Enrollments of the eight finalists are as follows:
Mattoon 489, Edwardsville Lincoln 524, Lansing Memorial 575, Chatham
Glenwood 634, Minooka 714, Frankfort Summit Hill 808, Homer Glen
Homer 818 and Bloomington JHS 836.
[Text from file received from
IESA; LDN] |
