State volleyball scouting reports

A look at the non-local teams in the IHSA Class 2A, 3A and 4A Girls Volleyball State Tournaments:

Class 2A

Freeburg (36-2)

Coach: Lesa Bolt

Enrollment: 696

Conference: Cahokia

Nickname: Midgets

Key players: Chelsi Hummert, jr., S-Opp. (251 kills, 490 assists); Maddy Hogan, jr., L (495 digs); Kayleigh Cox, sr., MH (120 blocks); Sam Kasser, sr., OH (183 kills); Colleen Yarber, sr., OH (213 kills, 247 digs)

Something to know: There are six players on the roster who are either 6-foot or taller, and the Midgets have accrued twice as many blocks (444) as each of the other 2A qualifiers.

Carlinville (35-3)

Coach: Fran Struble

Enrollment: 432

Conference: South Central

Nickname: Cavaliers

Key players: Kelsey Card, jr., OH (312 kills, 343 digs); Katie Graham, jr., MB (168 kills, 50 blocks); Savannah Bates, sr., L (411 digs, 52 aces); Elizabeth Kelly, sr., MB (336 kills); Ali Goodman, sr., S (424 assists).

Something to know: Kelly, at 6-1, is the Cavaliers’ go-to hitter. She, along with Card, will be one of the weekend’s toughest hitting tandems.

Chicago Christian (27-10)

Coach: James Garcia

Enrollment: 666.6 (with IHSA multiplier)

Conference: Suburban Christian Conference

Nickname: Knights

Key players: Kirsten Harms, sr., OH (220 kills); Stacey Kamp, jr., OH (141 kills); Madison Kamp, sr., S (663 assists).

Something to know: The Knights finished fourth in the 2007 Class 2A state finals, and Madison Kamp and Harms are two of the remaining members of that team.

Class 3A

Joliet Catholic (39-1)

Coach: Christine Scheibe

Enrollment: 1367.85 (with IHSA multiplier)

Conference: East Suburban Catholic

Nickname: Angels

Key players: Jennifer Murphy, sr., S (884 assists); Annemarie Hickey, sr., OH (367 kills, 343 digs); Stephanie Keca, sr., L (326 digs)

Something to know: The Angels have lost one match and have not lost to an Illinois team in 44 matches, a record that dates to last season. Joliet Catholic enters today’s match against Crystal Lake Central ranked No. 5 in the nation by prepvolleyball.com.

Sycamore (34-6)

Coach: Debbie Klock

Enrollment: 1175

Conference: Western Sun

Nickname: Spartans

Key players: Evyn McCoy, jr., MH (224 kills, 125 blocks), Jill Johnson, jr., S (770 assists); Justine Schepler, sr., L (312 digs); Kate Binder, sr., MH (319 kills)

Something to know: Sycamore finished third in the 2007 Class 3A state tournament. The Spartans rely on their senior-laden roster since many of the players were a part of that 2007 team.

Breese Mater Dei (34-6)

Coach: Fred Rakers

Enrollment: 854.7 (with IHSA multiplier)

Conference: Independent

Nickname: Knights

Key players: Brooke Schulte, so., OH (289 kills); Abbey Winter, so., MH (95 kills, 131 blocks); Nicole Strieker, jr., S (477 assists).

Something to know: The Knights are gunning for their sixth state title. They finished third in Class 3A last season. Rakers is one of the most successful coaches in the state with a 1006-197-7 overall coaching record.

Class 4A

Glenbrook South (34-4)

Coach: Katie Hoover

Enrollment: 2593

Conference: Central Suburban

Nickname: Titans

Key players: Ellen Chapman, jr., OH (431 kills); Emani Sims, sr., MH (215 kills, 67 blocks); Colleen Brennan, sr., S (144 assists); Missy Roemer, jr., S (134 assists)

Something to know: Chapman is the defending Class 3A high jump state champion, and the Titans are athletic at all positions. The Titans’ only other appearance in the state quarterfinals was in 2002, when they lost to Normal Community.

Quincy (36-3)

Coach: Barb Crist

Enrollment: 1899

Conference: Western Big Six

Nickname: Blue Devils

Key players: Brittany Houghton, jr., OH (256 kills); Taylor Holtmeyer, sr., MB (235 kills); Hannah Kvitle, sr., S (831 assists, 277 digs)

Something to know: The Blue Devils enter the tournament as one of the hottest teams, having defeated Benet Academy in a supersectional. Quincy has six hitters with more than 100 kills each.

Lyons (36-4)

Coach: Joann Pyritz

Enrollment: 3826

Conference: West Suburban

Nickname: Lions

Key players: Jocelynn Birks, jr., OH (340 kills); Alexis Viliunas, so., S (204 kills, 529 assists, 233 digs); Erin Juley, jr., S (391 assists)

Something to know: Lyons was on a 27-match winning streak before losing three of its final five regular-season matches. One of the late losses was to Mother McAuley, which the Lions beat in a supersectional.