Sub Navigation

Top

Seventh Grade Volleyball Team Is Heading To State!

Come On Out and Support Our Team -- Final Game - March 16 -- 6:00 PM

The Pawnee 7th grade girls won the title of the Pawnee 2A Regional last Thursday by knocking off Christ The King 25-22, 25-17. The Jr. Indians then topped Mt. Pulaski for the Sectional title Monday and will carry an 18-5 record to the IESA State Tourney in Heyworth Saturday. Team members are, front (left to right): Maddie Reeves, Kelsie Allen, Abby Salzeider, Alyssa Whitlow, Lizzie Fjelstul; back: Sydney Landrey, Shelby Thornton, Alexis Desart, Gabby Fontana, Cessija Whyte; not pictured: Olivia Dyers. The girls are coached by Cindy Rabideau and Teri Clarke.

Come Out and Cheer on Our Seventh Grade Girls Volleyball Team to Victory!

Our Pawnee Indians are playing for Third/Fourth Place at the 2010 State Tournament!
6:00 P.M. Tuesday March 16
at Heyworth Junior/Senior High
308 W. Cleveland Street

This is the 35th year of the IESA of the Girls' Volleyball State Tournament Series.

Scores will be posted on the IESA Website.

2010 Seventh Grade Volleyball State Tournaments 

For just the fourth time in Illinois Elementary School Association (IESA) history four champions will be crowned in the Seventh Grade Girls State Volleyball Tournament series. Competition in the Class 1A, Class 2A, Class 3A and Class 4A State Final Tournaments begins Saturday (March 13) and concludes Tuesday (March 16) at four sites.

Class 1A will be hosted by Auburn JHS at Divernon. Class 2A will be played at Heyworth Jr./Sr. High School. Assumption Central A & M Junior High School will be the site of Class 3A. Bloomington Junior High School will host Class 4A.

The time schedule for all four tournaments will be the same. Upper bracket quarterfinals and semifinals will be played in the morning. Lower bracket quarterfinals and semifinals will be played beginning Saturday afternoon. The upper bracket quarterfinals are scheduled for 10:00 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. The winners meet in the semifinal at 1:00 p.m. The lower bracket quarterfinals are scheduled for 2:15 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. The winners meet in the semifinal at 5:15 p.m. Third place and championship matches will be played Tuesday with the third place match set for 6:00 p.m. and the championship match scheduled for 7:30.

Any changes in the playing status of each of the four tournaments will be posted on the IESA Web Site at www.iesa.org as each tournament progresses.

The price of admission Saturday is $7.00 for adults and $3.00 for seniors (62 and over) and students (K-8) and is good for all games Saturday. Children younger than kindergarten are admitted free. Fans attending the games Saturday will receive a wristband that is to be worn all day and will be used for entry into that respective state final site only throughout the day. It will not be honored at any other 7th grade state final site. The price of admission for the third place and championship game session Thursday will be $5.00 for adults and $2.00 for seniors and students (K-8). Children younger than kindergarten again are admitted free.

IESA girls volleyball began in 1976. There was one-class competition from 1976-84, and in 1985 the state series was divided into Class A and Class AA by school size. From 1989-2006, there were Class A and Class AA state series for both seventh grade and eighth grade. Beginning in 2007, the seventh grade and eighth grade series have four classes each.

Complete pairings for each state final, plus the FanZone, can be found at www.iesa.org. Click on the Volleyball line in the orange box at the top of the IESA Web Site Home Page.

Here is a look at the Class 2 A - 2010 Seventh Grade State Final Tournament Teams:

Only one of the eight teams in the Class 2A field has won 20 matches this year, Albion (20-2), but the battle for the state title is wide open.

Carrollton GS (19-2) plays Lewistown Central (19-3-1) in the first quarterfinal match at 10:00 a.m. Pawnee (18-5) battles Herscher JHS (11-6) at 11:15 a.m. The winners of these matches meet in the first semifinal match at 1:00 p.m. Champaign St. Matthew (19-6) meets Lexington (17-5) in the third quarterfinal match at 2:15 p.m. Albion squares off against Bartonville Monroe (9-7) at 3:30 p.m. The winners of these two matches meet in the second semifinal match at 5:15 p.m. The third place and title matches will be played Tuesday (March 16) at 6:00 and 7:30 p.m., respectively.

It has been a struggle for Carrollton GS to get to the state tournament. Seeded No. 1 in the regional, the Hawks had to beat No. 3 seed Bunker Hill Wolf Ridge in three games in the regional final and then had to beat Girard 25-11, 17-25, 25-16 in the sectional. Coach Patty Steinacher has height in 5-8 middle hitter Rachel Williams, 5-7 middle hitter Madison Struble, 5-8 outside hitter Alexa Hillis, 5-7 outside hitter Macy Pohlman and 5-8 outside hitter Katie Taylor.

Lewistown Central finished third last year and setter Darian Baldwin served for 27 points, including 8 ace serves, in the three games in 2009. Payton Reed is a defensive specialist and is the tallest player on the team at 5-9, and 5-7 Mallory Battefeld is a middle hitter for the Indians. After losing the first game in the sectional 25-12 to Liberty, Lewistown Central won the last two games 25-14, 25-20 to advance to the state tournament.

Pawnee also played in the 2009 Class 2A state tournament, losing in the quarterfinals. The Indians survived the rugged Springfield regional with 2-game wins over Springfield Blessed Sacrament and Springfield Christ The King and then knocked off perennial power Mt. Pulaski 25-15, 25-19 in the sectional. Six of the 11 players on Coach Cindy Rabideau's roster are 5-6 or taller. They are 5-6 Lizzie Fjelstul, 5-6 Cessija Whyte, 5-7 Olivia Dyers, 5-6 Gabby Fontana, 5-8 Alexis Desart and 5-7 Sydney Landrey.

Herscher JHS won all three of its state series matches prior to the state tournament in 2 games. The Dragons have 5-7 Tess Peters at middle hitter and 5-6 Emily Guimond at middle hitter and 10 other players on the roster 5-5 or shorter.

Champaign St. Matthew was seeded No. 2 in the regional and beat top-seeded Champaign Holy Cross 25-23, 25-13 in the regional title game before winning an epic sectional game against Arcola 25-16, 25-27, 29-27. The Raiders finished third in the seventh grade Class 2A girls state basketball tournament in December and eight members of that team are on the volleyball roster. Among them are middle hitters Lexi Wallen (5-8) and Mary Kate Mulcahey (5-9) and setter Nikki Bilger (5-6).

Lexington is the smallest team in the state tournament. Of the 10 players on the roster only 5-6 middle hitter Melissa Swartz is taller than 5-3. The Minutemen were seeded No. 3 in the regional and won three matches each in 2 games, including a 25-14, 25-13 win over No. 2 seed Bloomington Holy Trinity in the semifinals. With a 2-game win over Gardner in the sectional Lexington has outscored four state series foes 200-101. Only Roanoke-Benson in the second game of the regional title match (25-20) has scored 20 points in a state series games against Lexington.

Albion has 5-10 Nichole Alcorn at middle hitter, 5-7 Kaeli James at outside hitter and 5-7 sixth grader Maddie Gillard at middle hitter. The Lions advanced to the state tournament with 2-game wins over Effingham St. Anthony, Oblong and St. Elmo, all strong volleyball schools.

Bartonville Monroe has only three seventh graders on its 12-player roster. They are 5-1 outside hitter Liv Owen, 5-6 setter Haley Leuallen and 5-5 setter Heather Robinson. The Flyers came into the state series under the radar, were seeded No. 4 in the regional, and have allowed more than 19 points in a game only once in four state series matches.

The combined won-loss record of the eight finalists is 132-36-1, a winning percentage of .786.

Of the 102 players listed on the rosters of the finalists, 2 are fifth graders, 10 are sixth graders and 90 are seventh graders.

In IESA competition, school enrollments are determined by the students in seventh and eighth grade. Class 2A is the second smallest class. Enrollments of the eight finalists are: Bartonville Monroe 77, Lexington 78, Champaign St. Matthew 89, Pawnee 89, Albion 92, Carrollton GS 105, Herscher JHS 115, Lewistown Central 118.

	Best of Luck Girls!
We Love Our Lady Indians!