Top heavy

Ally Simmons and Martha Stewart guard the net for Waubonsie Valley. The 25-10 Warriors tied for first with St. Charles East in the Upstate Eight Conference.
(Terence Guider Shaw/For The Sun)

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The five Naperville-area girls volleyball teams hold five of the top eight seeds in the Lockport Sectional as regional play begins tonight.

Benet is seeded No. 1, followed by Naperville North at No. 3, Neuqua Valley No. 5, Waubonsie Valley No. 6 and Naperville Central No. 8.

All five coaches are optimistic that their teams are peaking at the right time and that they'll be competitive in the two-round regional.

It will take seven victories to win the coveted state championship.

Benet (No. 1 seed): The Redwings (31-2), who made it all the way to the state finals last year before falling to St. Charles East in three sets, begin play at the Bolingbrook Regional at 7:30 p.m. against the winner of the Bolingbrook-Plainfield South match, which starts at 5:30 p.m.

The Redwings will be led by senior all-conference players Sierra Young, Gina Finke and Brianne Riley, the only holdover regulars from the 2008 state second-place team.

There's plenty of talent beyond those three.

Several injuries to starters during the season only made the team deeper, as the fill-in players became battle-tested veterans.

Coach Brad Baker can rely on 11 regulars to step up in the playoffs.

"We don't have any real weaknesses," Baker said. "Everyone we put on the floor is very good. It will be hard for other teams to focus on one or two players. And, everyone's back and 100 percent healthy."

Sophomore Megan Haggerty -- at 6 foot, 3 inches -- is a force in the middle, with excellent blocking ability and great court awareness.

Naperville North (No. 3 seed): The Huskies (28-7) begin the tournament on a high as champions of the DuPage Valley Conference and an eight-match winning streak that included an impressive win over Glenbrook South.

They start the playoffs at Joliet Township at 7:30 p.m. against the winner of the Bolingbrook-Plainfield South play-in match.

"We're eager to start regional play," said Huskies' coach Jen Urban. "Beating a strong team like Glenbrook South was a big step for us and we're looking to carry that over to the playoffs."

Urban is depending on a solid core of seniors to lead the team in the postseason.

Outside hitter Audrey Wilson (366 kills) was a unanimous all-conference selection, while Katie Cremin and Sidney Sauter were also all-DVC and setter Alissa Valentine and middle hitter Kaia Schwartz were honorable mention.

"You're always looking for your seniors to lead in the postseason," Urban said. "Because they've been there before and they know they're playing every match to survive."

Neuqua Valley (No. 5 seed): The Wildcats (22-9) expect to have outside hitter Nikki Federico at near full strength from a back injury.

However, Neuqua, which plays at home against West Aurora at 6:30 p.m., will be without setter Sam Skryd, who tore an ACL after a jump-serve late in the season.

Beth Blackman moved to setter from the right side and Brigid Campbell fills in for Blackman with Alison Strain taking over in the back row.

"The best word to describe our team is resilient," Neuqua coach Kelly Simon said. "Since Sam and Nikki went down we've regrouped and played tough."

Middle hitters Emily Tulloch and Alexis Rogers and libero Karlie Bergamini have been outstanding.

The Wildcats hope to win their first regional championship.

Waubonsie Valley (No. 6 seed): The 25-10 Warriors tied for first with St. Charles East in the Upstate Eight Conference.

They open tonight against regional host Joliet Township at 6:30 p.m.

The Warriors feature a strong defense led by Jill Galovic (270 digs).

"Jill is very steady and has a calming effect on her teammates," coach Kristen Stuart said. "They know she'll give them a good pass and she'll back them up on defense. She gets to a lot of balls."

When Waubonsie gets the ball to outside hitters Martha Stewart (168 kills) and Nicole Salmon (164 kills), the offense can do great things.

"We go to them a lot," Stuart said. "But we have to get the ball around to open it up for them. We also have to block a little better against bigger teams."

Naperville Central (No. 8 seed): It has been quite a journey, thus far, for the Redhawks (20-15) who started the season 2-7, but found their way back.

Highlights included inflicting archrival and DVC champ Naperville North with its only two conference losses.

"I think we're in a perfect position to begin the postseason," said Redhawks coach Brie Isaacson, whose team plays Hinsdale South at Bolingbrook at 6:30 p.m. in a challenging 8-9 match. "We have good balance offensively and defensively, and all aspects of the game have come together. The Naperville North matches helped our confidence."

Nicole Sarby, who was a member of the 2007 state champions, has emerged as a formidable first option.

"We expect Nicole to take control on the court," Isaacson said. "Now, she's asking for the ball and she's putting it away, even when the pass isn't there."

Junior outside hitter Dani Kuhn has developed as an offensive force.