Marist's Christian Teresi is the 2025 Daily Southtown Boys Volleyball Player of the Year: ‘An exciting future.'
In between, the Ohio State-bound senior setter/right-side hitter created a stellar career that wasn't going to be defined by those early mistakes all the way back in 2022 against Sandburg.
'Obviously, you make errors,' Teresi said. 'You get past it and you think about the next play.'
Teresi, the 2025 Daily Southtown Player of the Year, had a lot of 'next plays' to think about as he helped the RedHawks (39-2) roll along in winning their second straight state championship.
A three-time player of the year, Teresi stayed busy with 359 kills, 638 assists, 212 digs, 86 blocks and 28 aces for Marist, which became just the second team from the Southland to repeat as state champs in boys volleyball. Sandburg accomplished the feat in 1999 and 2000.
For his career, Teresi rang up 902 kills, 725 digs, 302 blocks and 132 aces. His 3,258 assists rank him third in the Illinois High School Association record book. Second on that list is Jordan Vidovic, a star setter for Brother Rice from 2002 to 2005.
Vidovic was Teresi's coach the past four seasons at Marist.
'It's been a hell of a ride,' Vidovic said. 'I've known him since he was in second or third grade when he came to a summer camp and I've seen him grow. I've had a high standard for him.
'He grew as a person and he grew in a lot of other ways.'
Vidovic, who has coached the boys since 2015 at Marist, never had a freshman start the season on the varsity until Teresi walked through the doors.
Teresi confirmed he was nervous for his first match, but despite the rough beginning, he finished with 35 assists in a 23-25, 25-12, 25-13 victory over the host Eagles in Orland Park.
Over the years, Teresi has had a number of incredible matches, but when he added hitting to his game during his sophomore season, he came through with a triple-double of 10 kills, 10 digs and 32 assists against Hinsdale Central.
Even though Vidovic saw a lot of terrific things from Teresi on the court in his first three years, he still wanted a little more this season.
'This year was about the leadership side and forgetting about recognition,' Vidovic said. 'I liked that he soaked up one of the best experiences that he will ever have. He has an exciting future.
'But it will never be like this. This year was about enjoying the season with his teammates and how to make them better — how to be remembered as a player in our program.'
Jacob Finley, who shared the setting duties for Marist, saw Teresi as a teacher one minute and then as a player he absolutely had to connect with the next minute.
'He's a great leader,' Finley said of Teresi. 'He's helped me in practice and in games. It's a lot of working together.'
After Marist won the state championship by beating Glenbard West 25-20, 25-20 in Hoffman Estates, Teresi took a few seconds for a big hug with his father, Marty.
It was a nice moment because when Christian's older brother, Colin, was playing club at the 12U level, Marty would take Christian off to the side and pepper with him.
Soon, one of Colin's coaches called Christian over to practice with the older players. It was the start of what turned out to be an outstanding career.
'My dad would take me to the side and taught me how to play volleyball,' Christian said. 'He's the one who pushed me and he's the one who made me humble.'
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Fox Sports
4 minutes ago
- Fox Sports
Will Ohio State Repeat? Joel Klatt's 2025-26 Conference, CFP Bracket Predictions
College Football Will Ohio State Repeat? Joel Klatt's 2025-26 Conference, CFP Bracket Predictions Published Aug. 18, 2025 2:26 p.m. ET share facebook x reddit link Thinking about how the 2025 college football season is going to play out? Well, I had a pretty good year with my picks last season, so you might want to listen up. I correctly predicted six of the eight College Football Playoff quarterfinalists and three of the four semifinalists in my preseason predictions last season — not to mention I predicted that Ohio State would win it all before the year began. Now, we've all got a clean slate for our predictions, and I want to try mapping out the 12-team CFP field again. Remember, this year it's straight seeding, so that's a new obstacle we'll have to figure out. Let's start with my conference championship game predictions before getting into how I think the 2025 CFP will play out. Conference championship games There's a chance Ohio State will be undefeated at this point of the season, as I think the Buckeyes win the first matchup between these two teams, but if Penn State makes it to the conference championship game, it likely would've defeated Oregon. However, coach James Franklin still has to get the Ohio State monkey off his back. Dealing with immense pressure, I think Franklin's team plays its best football in this game and beats Ohio State. SEC: Texas beats Georgia Let's say Texas loses at Georgia during the regular season. Do you think the Bulldogs would be able to beat the Longhorns twice in one season? I know they did last year, but this Texas team is different. It's balanced with a great defense and quarterback Arch Manning would have a full season under his belt by this point. Most importantly, though, Texas' offensive line should be developed by this point. ADVERTISEMENT Finally, Miami makes it to the ACC title game under coach Mario Cristobal. The Canes struggle in big games, though, while Dabo Swinney's Tigers squad has veteran experience and will be battle-tested with games against LSU and South Carolina earlier in the season. I think Utah is going to have a great year, so don't be surprised if it makes a bit of a run, but I like Kansas State a bit more. The Wildcats have been the picture of consistency in this conference, which they've got at quarterback as well. The 12-team CFP bracket I presume that the Big Ten and SEC champs will get the top two seeds, so I'll go with the order of how I ranked Penn State and Texas in my preseason top 25, giving the Nittany Lions the edge there. Clemson gets my No. 3 seed. I think Clemson is — at worst — a one-loss ACC champion this year. Ohio State gets the No. 4 seed, as I think the Buckeyes have a great year and might even enter the Big Ten Championship Game undefeated. That would help them get a first-round bye. Going through the non-bye teams, remember that Georgia only has three true road games this season. I also think the Bulldogs beat the Longhorns earlier in the season, so they would have that win on their résumé. I think they lose at some point, though, in the regular season, which is why Ohio State gets the edge over them in the seeding. Oregon gets into the bracket for the second straight year, but as the No. 6 seed this time. I see the Ducks losing at Penn State in September. That might be their only regular-season loss, but it might be enough to keep them out of the Big Ten Championship Game. So, not good enough to get a top-five seed, but good enough to be the highest-seeded team that didn't play in conference championship game weekend. As for Notre Dame, it should have the record to make the CFP, but its résumé will prevent it from getting a higher seed than No. 7. I can see the Fighting Irish going 11-1, which would mean that they only have one marquee win. We'll see what the Boise State win might look like for them as the year goes along, though. Kansas State gets included in the bracket with the No. 8 seed. I think the Wildcats will be a one- or two-loss team, but playing in the Big 12 will likely hurt their seeding. It gets really interesting after Kansas State at No. 8, as we try to figure out the last three at-large bids. I'd be surprised if any of the first seven teams I mentioned weren't in the CFP, and I think the last three teams trying to make it as at-large teams face an interesting conundrum. All offseason, many of us have said that if Team X or Team Y from the SEC or the Big Ten goes 9-3, they have to get into the CFP because of their schedule. However, as we start to predict the year, we're naturally going to have too many 10-2 teams that a 9-3 team would have to pass over. So, I'm looking at four teams for those final three spots: Alabama, LSU, Michigan and Miami. I think all those teams will be 10-2 (or 10-3, in Miami's case) and we'll have some sort of Royal Rumble between those four teams. I think Alabama would get the edge here because, in this scenario, I'd imagine that it would've beaten LSU at home in the regular season. So, the Crimson Tide come in at No. 9. As we try to determine the 10th and 11th seeds, we've got to ask where are the big wins, and who are the losses? In this scenario, I think LSU would have losses to Alabama and Clemson, so it would only have losses to CFP teams. Let's give the Tigers the 10th seed, which gives us a fun first-round matchup (more on that shortly). I don't think Michigan or Miami will have a win that jumps out when we compare their résumés in this exercise, but I have a feeling that Michigan is going to be ranked higher than Miami if both finish the season with 10 wins (because one of the Wolverines' losses would be to Ohio State). In that case, I think Michigan would be ranked over Miami heading into conference championship weekend, and why would the Hurricanes jump the Wolverines after losing a game? So, Michigan gets the last at-large bid and is the 11th seed. Finally, Boise State gets in the tourney as the non-power-conference representative. While it's got to replace Ashton Jeanty, coach Spencer Danielson has done a really good job there and quarterback Maddux Madsen returns. This program is firing on all cylinders and if it wins the Mountain West again, it should be in a good spot to make the CFP. First round No. 5 Georgia beats No. 12 Boise State We know how this should go. The Bulldogs haven't lost in Athens, Georgia since 2019, and home teams dominated in the first round of the CFP last year. I find it hard to see this game bucking that trend. No. 6 Oregon beats No. 11 Michigan This would be an incredible atmosphere, and Oregon finally gets the home CFP game it should've gotten as the No. 1 overall seed last year. I think coach Dan Lanning's squad gets it done, as I like new starting quarterback Dante Moore. No. 7 Notre Dame beats No. 10 LSU Coach Brian Kelly returning to South Bend in the CFP? Yes! When I made my bracket, I didn't try to rig it to make the matchup happen, it just happened naturally. Don't you want to see this, too? I live for rich storylines like this. That Notre Dame fanbase would live for this moment, too. That's why I think there's zero chance LSU wins this game. No. 9 Alabama beats No. 8 Kansas State Finally, a road team wins a CFP game at a campus site. Coach Kalen DeBoer needs this win, and I like that he's reunited with offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb this year as they've had plenty of success together in the past. Quarterfinals No. 1 Penn State beats No. 9 Alabama Even with some of the momentum Alabama would likely get from its first-round win, Penn State really needs this game. Could you imagine if Penn State lost in the quarterfinals? The Nittany Lions have to get over the hump in games like these, beating marquee teams. Penn State has more experience, and it was just in this spot a year ago. No. 2 Texas beats No. 7 Notre Dame This would also be a heck of a game. I just love this Texas team, though. Its defense is phenomenal and might be the best in the country. Manning should be playing exceptional football by this point, too. I'm not sure if Notre Dame has enough to beat this Texas team, either. No. 3 Clemson beats No. 6 Oregon These two teams match up well, except in one area: experience at quarterback. Cade Klubnik is my No. 1-ranked quarterback in the sport entering the year after he showed tremendous improvement last season. This is also a balanced Clemson team, which should be good enough to beat Oregon. No. 4 Ohio State beats No. 5 Georgia Can we please put quarterfinal games on campus sites? This game needs to be played in Columbus, Ohio rather than at some neutral bowl game site. That aside, I can't get my head around Georgia and what its ceiling is for this season. By this point, Ohio State should have its quarterback situation settled. Defensive coordinator Matt Patricia should have his unit's situation figured out. I think this is a tight game, but Ohio State has the two best players in the sport in Jeremiah Smith and Caleb Downs, which should help give it the edge. Semifinals No. 4 Ohio State beats No. 1 Penn State In this scenario, this would be the third time these teams meet this season. Ultimately, I don't think Penn State would be able to beat Ohio State twice in roughly 30 days. If you give coach Ryan Day the opportunity to adjust, he's going to. This would be a devastating loss for Penn State, as I think it needs to get to the national championship game. No. 3 Clemson beats No. 2 Texas This would have the potential to be an all-time great game. These two teams are very similar in talent, with great quarterbacks and defenses. Ultimately, I trust the more experienced quarterback. Klubnik, Swinney and that defense have the overall soundness to get the job done in the semis, helping the Tigers reach the national title game. National championship game No. 3 Clemson beats No. 4 Ohio State Ohio State should be excellent this season, but going back-to-back is tough. It was made even tougher by the fact that it lost 14 players to the 2025 NFL Draft, including its starting quarterback, while two coordinators also departed. Clemson, on the other hand, is returning many of its top players from last year. I recently ranked three of its players in my top 10 players in the sport for the upcoming season. It also has a coach that's done it before and an experienced quarterback. The defense might be the best in the country. Ultimately, Swinney gets his third national championship and proves there's still a way to win his way in this ever-evolving college football landscape. It would also mean Swinney would join Nick Saban as one of the only coaches to win multiple national championships with different cycles of recruits. That's very difficult to do. Joel Klatt is FOX Sports' lead college football game analyst and the host of the podcast " The Joel Klatt Show. " Follow him at @joelklatt and subscribe to the "Joel Klatt Show" on YouTube . Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily. What did you think of this story? share
Fox Sports
4 minutes ago
- Fox Sports
2025 College Football Odds: Can Big Ten Powers Go Undefeated?
College Football 2025 College Football Odds: Can Big Ten Powers Go Undefeated? Published Aug. 18, 2025 2:37 p.m. ET share facebook x reddit link Going undefeated in college football is a rare achievement. Only a handful of teams have finished with a perfect record over the last 30 years. And while t he preseason poll was released last week, and the Texas Longhorns are ranked No. 1, oddsmakers aren't convinced they are the team most likely to complete an unbeaten season. So, if not Texas, then who? Let's take a look ahead at the odds at FanDuel Sportsbook as of Aug. 18. To finish the 2025 regular season undefeated Penn State: +410 (bet $10 to win $51 total) Ohio State: +410 (bet $10 to win $51 total) Notre Dame: +420 (bet $10 to win $52 total) Clemson: +430 (bet $10 to win $53 total) Georgia: +500 (bet $10 to win $60 total) Liberty: +550 (bet $10 to win $65 total) Oregon: +650 (bet $10 to win $75 total) Texas: +650 (bet $10 to win $75 total) Alabama: +750 (bet $10 to win $85 total) Boise State: +800 (bet $10 to win $90 total) Miami (FL): +900 (bet $10 to win $100 total) Since 1994, a handful of FBS programs have gone without a loss. Nebraska boasts the most undefeated seasons with three, all coming from 1994 to 1997. Ohio State, Michigan, Florida State, Utah, Auburn and Alabama each have two over the last three decades. Since the AP first released its Top 25 list in 1936, however, there have been 64 NCAA-recognized undefeated champions, including co-title holders, according to ESPN. Notre Dame has the most undefeated, championship-winning campaigns with six, followed by Nebraska and Alabama, each with five. ADVERTISEMENT The most recent squad to go undefeated was Michigan in 2023, finishing 15-0 and capturing the CFP title. Georgia accomplished the same the year prior. The longest streak of perfection over the last 30 years spanned from 1997 to 2002, during which at least one program went undefeated in six consecutive seasons. Clemson, Ohio State in Joel Klatt's preseason CFP bracket After winning their first national championship under Ryan Day and posting a 14-2 record last year, the Ohio State Buckeyes sit atop the oddsboard to go undefeated in 2025. But they share that top spot with Penn State, which finished 13-3 in 2024 and enters this season at No. 2 in the AP Poll, one spot ahead of OSU. Meanwhile, Texas — despite its No. 1 AP preseason ranking — is tied at seventh on the oddsboard. The Longhorns went 13-3 last season, with their first loss coming in Week 7 to Georgia. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! What did you think of this story? share
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Sarkisian focusing on three things heading into the Ohio State matchup
Steve Sarkisian has made it clear where his mind is heading into the Ohio State game. Tackling, pre-snap penalties and special teams are focuses for the Longhorns before kickoff. Texas is 12 days out from lining up against the Buckeyes and starting the 2024 season. That means fall camp has turned from broad concepts, to the nitty gritty stuff that really wins football games. There were a couple of things that Texas did not do well last year that kept them from a National Title. Sarkisian has been clear about focusing on those things heading into the year. Tackling: Despite how good the Texas defense was a year ago, missing tackles was an issue in important games a year ago. In the postseason, Texas missed 48 tackles in three games, according to PFF. The majority of those, as you can imagine, came against Cam Skattebo and Arizona State. This is a place Texas needs to be more consistent in, especially in the big games this year, or they will turn wins into losses. There will be misses. That is impossible to avoid, but limiting those can be the difference between a National Championship and missing the CFP altogether. The good news for Texas fans is this will not be something we have to wait to see about. Ohio State will show how close to fixing this problem Sarkisian and company are. Pre-Snap Penalties: This is something that is an emphasis for just about every team in the country, especially the ones on the road in Week 1. Texas gets one of the toughest environments in the country, so this is something they need to avoid to not give away 'hidden yards' as Sarkisian would say. For the most part a year ago, this Texas team was solid in this category, but there were some big moments where manageable 3rd downs turned into long ones in a hurry. In a Texas offense that has motion just about every play can get the defense really off balance, but it can also get the OL lost in the snap count. Avoiding these will not be talked about on postgame shows, but it will play an important role in what Texas is capable of this year. Special Teams: This is the area that every Texas fan knows. It was no mystery that Texas lost games, namely the SEC title, because of the inability to make kicks down the stretch. Texas missed nine kicks a year ago and were toward the bottom of the country in net punt yards and kickoff return yards. That is something championship teams don't do. There will be big time kicks that have to be hit and field position battles that have to be won if Texas is going to reach the mountaintop. The good news is they brought in Jack Bouwmeester at punter and Mason Shipley at kicker to fix the problem. Bouwmeester had an average punt distance of 44.7 yards, which would be a whole 13.2 yards better than what Texas had a year ago. Mason Shipley missed four kicks a year ago, hitting two kicks beyond 50 yards(including a 60-yarder). None of this guarantees success, but it definitely helps the chance of it being fixed and Texas winning the special teams battle in 2025. Championship teams are good at the boring stuff. At the stuff that isn't talked about if you are doing it well, and it all people talk about when you're doing it poorly. Texas has missed the mark in these three categories in past years, and Sarkisian knows it. Time will tell if the emphasis on these things really make a difference in 12 days, but early signs point towards yes.
