St. Charles North, East face off again in volleyball

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St. Charles North and St. Charles East have been in this situation before.

The winner moves on. The loser goes home.

The fact that the two are bitter, but friendly rivals only adds to the excitement.

Last year, the North Stars ended the Saints's volleyball season with a three-game victory in the sectional finals. The two will meet today in the semifinals of the Lake Park Class 4A Sectional. The winner will advance to play either Wheaton-Warrenville South or York for the sectional title.

"At this point it doesn't matter who you are playing. You need to win," Saints coach Jennie Kull said. "To us it is just another team that we need to compete well against."

In the only meeting between the two Upstate Eight Conference powerhouses this season, the North Stars downed the Saints 25-22, 18-25, 25-23. In the match, North (25-11-1) used its superior height advantage to eventually wear down the Saints (25-12).

The North Stars are led by an imposing front line that includes Division I signees Lindsay Williams (6-foot-1) and Gretchen Geisler (6-2). Other regular contributors include Carla Tietz, setter Anne Stoermer, Elin Smith and Caitlin Winkelman.

The Saints counter with power-hitting senior Mattie Boyd and junior setter Laura Homann. Alex Coello, Caroline Niski and Julia Marks also contribute.

"It's a fun, healthy rivalry and it brings out the best in both teams," North Stars coach Lindsay Trudell said. "It should be a great match."

Both coaches expect the atmosphere at Lake Park High School to be just as exciting as it would be if either the Saints or North Stars were hosting the match.

"It will be a really fun environment," Trudell said. "(In our last game) both sides of the court, the bench and the gym were electric. (I remember) the energy level in the gym the most."