Girls Volleyball: Sandburg gearing up for postseason
By Randy Whalen
Correspondent
If Sandburg is going to return to Lockport for the Class 4A sectional, it will need an effort like it produced last week.
The Eagles lost to the Porters, 25-23, 26-28, 26-24, on Oct. 6 in a SouthWest Suburban Conference Blue Division clash at Lockport, but in doing so showed they can compete with the top teams.
“We are a never-give-up team,” Sandburg coach David Vales said. “We don’t get down on ourselves. We have been giant-killers this season.”
The Eagles handed Lyons its first loss of the season on Sept. 9, and beat Marist on Sept. 14 and Oak Park-River Forest on Sept. 17.
“We don’t have a lot of height, but our hashtag this season is #onemore, for one more point,” Vales said.
Unfortunately for the Eagles (16-12, 5-2 entering this week), they couldn’t get one more point in the third set against the Porters.
Trailing 19-17, they rallied with six straight points for a 23-19 lead. After the Porters answered with four straight points to tie the score, a kill by Eagles junior outside hitter Madi Mulhausen (four kills) put Sandburg a point from victory.
Lockport, however, scored the final three points to defeat the Eagles in conference play for the third straight season.
“I thought both teams played great and it was really good competition,” said junior middle hitter Elise Sterling said. “I think we can still beat them. We can play at a higher potential.”
That positive attitude allowed the Eagles to rally from 22-17 down in the second set. Senior outside hitter Claire Hildebrand had two kills and a block in the set-ending 11-4 spurt, Mulhausen had a trio of kills and junior setter Kiera Fitzgerald (15 assists, 13 digs, five aces) added a pair of aces. Junior libero Reilly Chausse added 18 digs.
In a 25-15, 25-20 victory over host Homewood-Flossmoor in an SWSC match on Oct. 4, Hildebrand led the way with five kills and six digs. Fitzgerald had 13 assists and seven digs, and senior right side hitter Gabby Gasior garnered four kills.
Since Vales has been coaching at Sandburg, his teams have had an amazing streak of success. On the girls side, the Eagles have captured 14 straight regional championships — 17 straight overall — in which during seasons in which playoffs have been held. Vales’ boys teams have won 12 regionals in his 13 seasons, losing only to Lockport in the 2018 regional final.
The Eagles, seeded fifth in the Lockport Sectional, fully expect another regional title this fall. They could face No. 4 seed Lincoln-Way Central in the regional title match. The Knights won the two earlier meetings this season.
“The goal is to always get another one,” Sterling said of a regional championship. “And then go from there.”
Sandburg is in the Rich Township Regional and will open postseason play against Thornwood at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 25. The regional championship match is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27 at Rich South.
Local News
Palos South eighth-grade girls volleyballers go undefeated
Spread the loveFrom staff reports Palos South’s eighth-grade girls’ volleyball team finished first in the Southwest Interscholastic Conference (SWIC) on March 9, completing an undefeated season with a record of 19-0. This is the fifth straight year that Coach Marty Duggan has led the Cardinals to a first-place finish in the tournament, which was held…
Moraine Valley Speech and Debate Team headed to nationals to defend title
Spread the loveWhen the Moraine Valley Community College Speech and Debate Team heads to the Phi Rho Pi National Tournament in Reno, Nevada, for nine days this month, they’ll have a target on their back as incoming consecutive champions. But they’re ready. “Last year’s team was amazing. Everyone was on their A game. This year…
Bridgeview condemns wars around globe in new resolution
Spread the loveBy Steve Metsch As village officials noted, warring factions in the Middle East and elsewhere probably don’t care much about what happens at the Bridgeview Village Hall. But the village board still took a strong stance against war at its latest meeting. At their April 3 meeting, trustees unanimously approved a resolution that…
Baseball | LW West stays unbeaten, snaps Sandburg’s seven-game win streak
Spread the loveBy Xavier Sanchez Correspondent Sandburg’s sizzling start to the season was cooled off, at least for a day, by a visit from even hotter SouthWest Suburban Conference foe Lincoln-Way West, which topped the Eagles 5-3 on Monday in Orland Park. The loss snapped Sandburg’s seven-game winning streak and ran the Warriors’ record to…
Boys Volleyball | Sandburg runs win streak to three with wins over Hinsdale South, DG North
Spread the loveBy Xavier Sanchez Correspondent After a sub-.500 start to the season, Sandburg returned from spring break with two victories, defeating Hinsdale South in three sets on April 3 and needing two sets to take down Downers Grove North the following day. The Eagles (6-4) ran their win streak to three games by topping…
Boys Volleyball | Marist still unbeaten after downing Glenbrook South
Spread the loveBy Xavier Sanchez Correspondent Marist is on a roll thus far this season, and improved to 9-0 after topping Glenbrook South in two sets last week. The RedHawks defeated the previously unbeaten Titans, 25-11, 25-21, on April 4 in Mount Greenwood, giving them eight straight matches that have gone two sets. Marist’s only…
Chicago Fire II to host Indy Eleven in U.S. Open Cup
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent The Chicago Fire II continue winning in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. They will be rewarded by hosting a third-round game against Indy Eleven at 7 p.m. April 17 at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview. Entry to Fire II games are usually free; but tickets for the Cup match…
Red Stars to play in Summer Cup
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent When the NWSL season started, there was a gap in the schedule — created to accommodate international play — that left the Chicago Red Stars without a league game for most of July. But some extra games have been added, as the NWSL and Liga MX are participating in…
College Sports | Sidney Lovitsch is officially women’s hoops coach at SXU
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent Sidney Lovitsch was named interim women’s basketball coach at Saint Xavier shortly before the 2023-24 season opened and got a trial year to work with. The trial was successful, as the school announced the interim tag has been dropped and Lovitsch is officially the Cougars’ head coach. SXU finished…
Area natives Kendall Coyne Schofield, Abbey Murphy representing at Women’s World Championship
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent Local hockey legends Kendall Coyne Schofield and Abbey Murphy are back with the U.S. women’s hockey team at the 2024 Women’s World Championship. Schofield, a Palos Heights native and Sandburg graduate, is playing in the Worlds for the 10th time. Murphy, an Evergreen Park native and Mother McAuley graduate,…
Neighbors
Capitol Briefs: Pritzker appoints first-ever Prisoner Review Board director; Chicago advances migrant funding
By JERRY NOWICKI & DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com Weeks after two high-profile resignations at the Illinois Prisoner Review Board, Gov. JB Pritzker on Monday appointed the first-ever executive director to help lead the beleaguered agency. To fill the newly created position, the governor tapped Jim Montgomery, who most recently served as director of…
INVESTIGATE MIDWEST: Farmers have clamored for the Right to Repair for years. It’s getting little traction in John Deere’s home state
By Jennifer Bamberg, Investigate Midwest, Investigate Midwest Originally published April 10, 2024 During the 2023 harvest season, one of Jake Lieb’s tractors quit working. A week later, his combine stopped working, too. Both were new — and he was locked out from making any repairs himself because of software restrictions embedded in the machines. Instead,…
Illinois Senate advances changes to state’s biometric privacy law after business groups split
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – It’s been more than a year since the Illinois Supreme Court “respectfully suggest(ed)” state lawmakers clarify a law that’s led to several multi-million-dollar settlements with tech companies over the collection of Illinoisans’ biometric data. On Thursday, a bipartisan majority in the Illinois Senate did just that,…
Capitol Briefs: Bill creating new early childhood agency among 244 to advance
By ALEX ABBEDUTO HANNAH MEISEL & COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker’s plan to create a new state agency to oversee Illinois’ various early childhood programs moved forward on Friday after the state Senate’s unanimous approval. It was one of 244 bills that cleared the Senate this week. Early childhood…
Lawmakers, cannabis industry calls for ban on ‘delta-8’ and other psychoactive hemp products
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Illinois’ largest cannabis business association is pushing to ban the sale of delta-8 THC, an increasingly popular psychoactive substance that’s popped up in corner stores across the country in recent years. New legislation filed in Springfield this week revives an ongoing debate over delta-8 and other…
As state continues to inventory lead pipes, full replacement deadlines are decades away
By COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois Clongcor@capitolnewsillinois.com Lead pipes in public water systems and drinking fixtures have been banned in new construction since 1986, when Congress amended the Safe Drinking Water Act, but they are still in use across the U.S. and in Illinois. The presence of lead pipes has persisted due in part to…
Illinois Senate advances changes to state’s biometric privacy law after business groups split
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – It’s been more than a year since the Illinois Supreme Court “respectfully suggest(ed)” state lawmakers clarify a law that’s led to several multi-million-dollar settlements with tech companies over the collection of Illinoisans’ biometric data. On Thursday, a bipartisan majority in the Illinois Senate did just that,…
Giannoulias calls for disclosure of lobbyist contracts
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – For decades, lobbyists in the Illinois Statehouse have been required to report how much they spend wining, dining and entertaining lawmakers. Currently, though, there is no law requiring lobbyists to disclose how much they are paid by corporations, industry groups or other special interest organizations.. That…
Komatsu mining truck named 2024 ‘coolest thing made in Illinois’
By COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois Clongcor@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – A mining truck manufactured by Komatsu was crowned the winner of the 2024 “Makers Madness” contest, earning the title of “the coolest thing made in Illinois” at the Governor’s Mansion Wednesday. The truck was one of more than 200 entries in the 5th annual contest hosted…
Regulators weigh future of gas industry in Illinois, while clamping down on Chicago utility
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – Natural gas is fueling a fight between consumer advocates, a powerful utility company and the state. Amid competing advertising campaigns, accusations of mismanagement and state decarbonization efforts, the Illinois Commerce Commission is starting a process that will shape how the state regulates the increasingly controversial industry. …