EDN VOLLEYBALL SECTIONAL PREVIEW: Getting to know the opponents
Oct. 31—And then there were four.
Only four volleyball teams remain in the Effingham Daily News coverage area: St. Anthony, Newton, South Central, and Windsor-Stewardson-Strasburg.
All four teams take the court for their first sectional matchups on Monday night.
Below is the skinny on who they will be playing.
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ST. ANTHONY versus ALBION EDWARDS COUNTY
Where: Webber High School in Bluford at 6 p.m.
About the Lions: Albion Edwards County is 27-11 and finished 8-2 in the Black Diamond East Conference. They have 920 kills as a team, with four players collecting 100-or-more. Emma Goering leads the way in that category with 283. Grace Bishop adds 228. Isabel Shepherd has 179, and Zeme Markman has 106. Setting the hitters will be Caesyn Nelson and Markman, who both have over 300 helpers. Nelson leads the squad with 450, while Markman has 317. Nelson also leads the team with 53 aces and is second with 228 digs, while Lidia Kelsey leads the Lions in digs with 417.
NOTE: Both teams met on September 3, with Albion Edwards County winning in straight sets.
NEWTON versus BREESE CENTRAL
Where: Breese Mater Dei High School at approximately 7 p.m.
About the Cougars: The Cougars are 28-8 and finished 8-2 in the Cahokia Conference. Kaydence Schroeder leads the team with 264 kills, while junior Alayna Santel has 251, senior Emma Taylor has 205, and junior Grace Johnson has 123. Senior Emma Ratermann (95) and sophomore Josephina Muskopf (89) are close to 100 kills, too. But, while the attacks are good, so is everything else. Senior Isabelle Toeben leads the team with 34 aces and 227 digs, Ratermann leads with a whopping 847 assists, and Taylor leads with 71 blocks.
SOUTH CENTRAL versus NORRIS-CITY-OMAHA-ENFIELD
Where: Webber High School in Bluford at approximately 7 p.m.
About the Fighting Cardinals: NCOE won a Class 1A sectional final over Cumberland one season ago. They also beat South Central in the semifinals at Wayne City. This year, the dominance has continued. The Fighting Cardinals are 35-2 with a perfect 10-0 record in the Greater Egyptian Conference. Senior Hollan Everett — a Morehead State volleyball commit — leads the team with 349 kills and 81 blocks, while Hinsley Everett is also a player to watch. She has a team-best 124 digs to go along with 33 aces and 144 kills. Both hitters have an equally as strong setter, too. Bree Vollman leads the team with 716 assists.
WINDSOR-STEWARDSON-STRASBURG versus LeROY
Where: Champaign St. Thomas More High School at 6 p.m.
About the Panthers: LeRoy is 20-9 with a 6-8 record in the Heart of Illinois Conference. Laila leads the team with 191 kills and 240 digs. Carlee Claunch adds 186 kills and 278 assists. Natalie has 100 kills, 20 solo blocks, and 18 assisted blocks. Haley leads the team with 287 assists, and Molly White has 19 solo blocks and 17 assisted blocks. There were no last names available for Laila, Natalie, or Haley.
Contact EDN Sports Editor Alex Wallner at 618-510-9231 or alex.wallner@effinghamdailynews.com.
