Saturday, Nov. 07, 2009

State just one step away for local volleyball powers

Freeburg and Mater Dei will play in super-sectional matches tonight

Same teams, same path -- different year.

The volleyball teams from Mater Dei and Freeburg can punch their tickets today to the state tournament Nov. 13-14 at Illinois State University's Redbird Arena in Normal with victories in their respective super-sectionals.

It was the same two teams in this position last year, and the Knights are even playing the same opponent.

Mater Dei (33-6) will take on Champaign Centennial (34-5) at 6 p.m. in the Class 3A Chatham Glenwood Super-Sectional. The Knights beat the Chargers 25-20, 25-13 in last year's super-sectional en route to a third-place finish at the state tournament.

The winner will face either Sycamore (33-6) or Normal University High School (32-6) at 4:30 p.m. Friday in the semifinals at Redbird Arena.

Meanwhile, defending Class 2A state champion Freeburg (36-2) takes on the Murphysboro Red Devils (34-3) at 7 p.m. in the Greenville Super-Sectional. The winner advances to the semifinals at 11:30 a.m. Friday in Normal to take on either Carlinville (35-3) or (Effingham) St. Anthony (28-9).

The Midgets, who are riding a 19-match winning streak, handed Murphysboro one of its three losses on Sept. 12 in a 25-18, 28-26 victory at the Mascoutah Tournament.

It's been a historic season for the Red Devils, who won the school's first sectional volleyball title Thursday with a 25-20, 25-11 victory over Fairfield at the Harrisburg Sectional, but they will meet a runaway freight train in the Midgets.

Freeburg is simply destroying teams in the postseason. In eight games, the Midgets have surrendered 14 or fewer points six times. Their closest match was a 25-21, 25-14 victory over Carlyle in the regional title match.

On Thursday, Freeburg flicked aside Staunton 25-10, 25-4 in the title match of the Columbia Sectional.

"They've been expecting a lot of each other, and over the last couple of weeks -- especially after we went to the Quincy Notre Dame Tournament -- they are really driving and feeding off of each other when they play,'' said Freeburg coach Lesa Bolt. "So it just keeps empowering them more and more."

Senior middle hitter Kayleigh Cox said teams keep taking their best shot at the Midgets but fall well short of victory.

"A lot of teams say 'Oh yeah, it's our goal to beat Freeburg,' and that gives us more fire and makes us want to play harder and beat them," Cox said.

Freeburg was the last team to beat Mater Dei in a 25-17, 18-25, 16-14 decision on Oct. 24 in the championship match of the Quincy Notre Dame Tournament.

Mater Dei has run the table in the postseason, using its 26-24, 25-22 victory over rival Althoff in the regional title match as a springboard to blitz Waterloo (25-18, 25-15) and Mattoon (25-10, 25-8) at the Civic Memorial Sectional.

"We're getting better, and that's kind of what I always like at the end of the year," said Mater Dei coach Fred Rakers. "Getting better as the games go on."

The Knights are doing it with what looks like a junior-varsity lineup. Only one senior -- middle hitter Tabatha Albers -- starts for Mater Dei.

Rakers scoffed at the notion his team is two years ahead of schedule.

"I'm not worried about two years," Rakers said. "Sports is about what have you done for me lately, and now is lately."