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Oakland Lake Crest runs into perennial powerhouse Mount Pulaski
(19-5) in the second match of the day, at 10:45 a.m. Oakland Lake
Crest is a co-op involving host school Oakland and Kansas, which was
prominent in Class 7A and Class 8A competition prior to the
formation of the cooperative team in 2004. Mount Pulaski is making
its 11th appearance in the state tournament and has won four Class
8A titles -- in 1994, 1998, 2001 and 2002. The only other team in
this year's field to earn a championship in the 17 years of Class 8A
competition is Stewardson-Strasburg in 1992. Peoria Limestone
Walters, last year's fourth-place finisher, meets Cissna Park (18-6)
in the 3 p.m. match. There will be eight first-round matches
Saturday, beginning at 9:30 a.m. Winners Saturday advance to the
quarterfinals Monday, starting at 3:30 p.m. The semifinals will be
played starting at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, with the third-place and
championship matches to follow the semifinals. The third-place match
is set to begin at 6 p.m. Tuesday, and the title battle is scheduled
to begin at 7:15.
This year's Class 8A field includes only four first-time
qualifiers. They are Effingham St. Anthony (13-11), Lincoln Carroll
Catholic (17-7), Champaign St. Matthew (13-10) and Bloomington Holy
Trinity (22-1).
Five of the 16 qualifiers have won 20 or more matches, and four
of them are in the lower bracket. After Peoria Limestone Walters
battles Cissna Park, 23-2 Greenfield meets Champaign St. Matthew at
4:15 p.m. Then Bloomington Holy Trinity faces Lincoln Carroll
Catholic at 5:30. Saturday's nightcap at 6:45 p.m. matches La Harpe
(22-2) against Metamora St. Mary's (18-4).
Only six of the 16 state qualifiers have seventh- and
eighth-grade enrollments greater than 100. Bunker Hill Meissner is
the largest at 130. The smallest school in the field is Lincoln
Carroll Catholic with an enrollment of 28 seventh- and
eighth-graders. The combined total enrollment of the 16 qualifiers
is 1,294, an average of 80.8.
Eleven of the 16 qualifiers can put a player at 5-foot-9 or
taller on the court. Stewardson-Strasburg's lineup can include 5-10
middle hitter Kassaundra Vonderheide, 5-10 middle hitter Alyssa
Cooper and 5-9 middle hitter Kiley Mettendorf. Effingham St. Anthony
lists four players 5-9 or taller, including 5-10 middle hitter Amy
Goeckner. Oakland Lake Crest has 5-11 middle hitter Ashley Stark.
The combined won-loss record of the field is 282-81, a winning
percentage of .776.
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 Class 8A state tournament pairings:
Saturday
First round
- Match 1, 9:30 a.m. -- Roseville (18-6) vs. Pawnee (16-5)
- Match 2, 10:45 a.m. -- Mount Pulaski (19-5) vs. Oakland Lake
Crest (22-0)
- Match 3, noon -- Stewardson-Strasburg (14-9) vs. Mazon-Verona-Kinsman
(11-9)
- Match 4, 1:15 p.m. -- Effingham St. Anthony (13-11) vs. Bunker
Hill Meissner (10-6)
- Match 5, 3 p.m. -- Cissna Park (18-6) vs. Peoria Limestone
Walters (24-0)
- Match 6, 4:15 p.m. -- Greenfield (23-2) vs. Champaign St.
Matthew (13-10)
- Match 7, 5:30 p.m. -- Lincoln Carroll Catholic (17-7) vs.
Bloomington Holy Trinity (22-1)
- Match 8, 6:45 p.m. -- La Harpe (22-2) vs. Metamora St. Mary's
(18-4)
Monday
Quarterfinals
- Match 9, 3:30 p.m. -- Winners of matches 1 and 2
- Match 10, 4:45 p.m. -- Winners of matches 3 and 4
- Match 11, 6 p.m. -- Winners of matches 5 and 6
- Match 12, 7:15 p.m. -- Winners of matches 7 and 8
Tuesday
Semifinals and finals
- Match 13, 3:30 p.m. -- Winners of matches 9 and 10
- Match 14, 4:45 p.m. -- Winners of matches 11 and 12
- Match 15, 6 p.m. -- Losers of matches 13 and 14 (third place)
- Match 16, 7:15 p.m. -- Winners of matches 13 and 14 (state
championship)
Visit www.iesa.org for
additional information regarding this and all other IESA state final
events. Click on the "Volleyball link" at the top of the site's
front page. Rosters for all 16 teams and the pairings chart are
included on the volleyball page.
Click here to go directly to the Class 8A tournament schedule.
[IESA
news release] |
