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Girls Volleyball 2011 Preview: St. Francis

The Spartans, who've won 30-or-more games for 25 consecutive seasons, are talented once again, but other Suburban Christian Conference opponents such as Marian Central Catholic and Rosary will give St. Francis a run for its money this season.

St. Francis girls volleyball

Coach: Peg Kopec, 37th season (1,060-238 career record)

2010 record: 31-8 overall, 11-1 in the Suburban Christian Conference (first place). Lost to Joliet Catholic in the sectional championship game.

Key players: Seniors: Grace Churney, RH; Maddie Defino, DS; Haley Gable, OH; Taylor Reckards, DS; Carly Warner, S; Daiva Wise, MB. Juniors: McKenna Kelsay, S; Michelle McLaughlin, OH. Freshman: Mary Boken, MB.

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2011 SEASON OUTLOOK:

With eight state championships to their credit, the Spartans have been one of Illinois’ premier volleyball teams for years, regardless of class affiliation. And Kopec, the winningest coach in IHSA history, has led St. Francis to 25 straight seasons of 30-or-more victories.

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Although the Spartans lost stars such as Meg Vonderhaar (now at Notre Dame), Gina Madonia (Kansas State), Sarah Dubiel and Kelly Reinke (Cornell) to graduation, they remain a formidable team in 2011 with Wise, Churney, McLaughlin, Reckards and Warner, a transfer from Naperville North.

Yet this season likely will present St. Francis with its stiffest challenge to date—not only to keep its 30-win streak intact, but also remain on top of the SCC.

The reason? SCC foes have raised their level of play in recent years. Marian Central Catholic, which defeated the Spartans last year at MCC for the first time, returns a number of starters from its Class 3A third-place squad that went 36-5. Rosary (Aurora) also has a strong contingent of returning starters. The Royals were 26-12 last season.

“Everybody gets better,” Kopec said. “It’s what you come to expect. We have to kick it up a little bit here. People are gunning for us. Marian Central’s going to be very strong again this year; Rosary is going to be very strong.”

Gable and McLaughlin will be steady for the Spartans at outside hitter, and the always reliable Churney is on the right side.

“A lot of people are not accustomed to having the right side be as strong as Grace,” Kopec said. “She’s a very strong player.”

Wise (6-foot-1), a Toledo University signee, played for the Crystal Lake-based Sky High Volleyball Club 17 Black team which won the 17 Open division at the AAU Junior National Club championships in June. Reckards, meanwhile, also enjoyed success nationally with the Sports Performance 18 Red team that won a national title.

“Daiva Wise has really honed her skills in the middle, so she is a force to be reckoned with,” Kopec said.

Wise and Warner—a University of Cincinnati recruit who didn’t play at all last season after transferring to St. Francis—are both on the American Volleyball Coaches Association’s 2011-12 Under Armour Girls’ High School all-American Watch list. The list tracks 646 players from 38 states for its all-American selection process.

Joining Warner at setter is Kelsay, whose sister, Kristen, is a setter at Michigan State. Boken (6-1), a freshman middle blocker, is the younger sister of former Spartans all-stater Megan Boken, who completed her senior season last spring at St. Louis University.

St. Francis faces a tough schedule right from the get-go. The Spartans compete in the Early Bird Tournament Sept. 2-3 and tangle with always-tough St. Charles East (27 wins in 2010) in their first game.

The following weekend (Sept. 9-10), it’s off to downstate Effingham for the Crossroads Classic tournament. After pool play concludes on Friday, the Spartans are on track to meet Edwardsville—the 2010 Class 4A third-place finisher—in Saturday’s first-round bracket.

Edwardsville was ranked 38th in the country in prepvolleyball.com’s preseason top 100.

“I’m not overly pleased with the (tournament) seeding,” Kopec said. “We were seeded first, and they’re seeded eighth but they’re ranked 38th in the country. I’m thinking they’re not real weak.”

The Spartans open the season against Montini at home on Wednesday, Aug. 31.

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