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Chicago Tribune
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Jacob Finley, wearing No. 5, keeps Marist alive to avoid state quarterfinal upset. His reaction? ‘We've got this.'
Why was senior setter Jacob Finley wearing No. 5 for Marist and why was the public-address announcer calling him Wyatt Olszewski during Friday's state quarterfinals? Shortly before the match, the RedHawks changed uniforms because Illinois High School Association officials said their numbers were too hard to read. Some players found theirs in alternate gray uniforms. Finley, who usually wears No. 12, ended up with Olszewski's jersey. But Finley wasn't paying attention to the announcer. 'I was really zoned in,' he said. 'I zoned out the crowd and focused on the court and my teammates.' Marist was out of its comfort zone for a little while, but after losing its first set to an Illinois team all season, the RedHawks recovered and pulled off a 17-25, 25-14, 25-21 win over Lake Park at Hoffman Estates. Ohio State-bound Christian Teresi paced Marist (38-2) with 15 kills and 13 assists. MIT recruit Nathen Toth tallied six kills and Finley added 12 assists. That put the defending state champion RedHawks into an 11 a.m. Saturday semifinal against Lane Tech (34-6), which earned a 25-21, 21-25, 25-18 win over Wheaton-Warrenville South (32-8) . Finley, who will be heading to South Alabama for college, is giving up competitive volleyball. Even though the Redhawks struggled mightily in the first game, Finley remained confident that his high school career wasn't coming to an end Friday. 'I knew we could come back — we've done it before in California,' Finley said, referring to a trip the RedHawks made in April. 'When we started off the second set hot, I was like, 'We got this.''' Sandburg was hoping to put a second Southland team into the semifinals but dropped a 25-23, 25-23 decision to O'Fallon in a match that featured 31 ties and eight lead changes. Sacred Heart recruit JT Snider totaled seven kills, Princeton commit Jeremiah Aro followed with six and Easton Donausky notched 19 assists for the Eagles (36-5), who were making their first quarterfinal appearance since 2016. Sutton Massey led the way with nine kills for O'Fallon (32-7), which needed to fend off five match points Tuesday against Lincoln-Way East to win 23-25, 21-29, 25-21 in the sectional final. Finley, meanwhile, shares setting duties with senior right-side hitter Teresi and the two are clicking. 'He brings a lot to the team in funny ways and serious ways,' Teresi said of Finley. 'We have our ups and downs, but we're at the point where we found our adjustment and it's paying off.' And it doesn't hurt to have a positive presence on the team. 'Finley is always the loudest in the gym,' Toth said. 'He's always the most positive guy. He's never afraid to admit when he has made a mistake, and he's a glue guy on the court.' On top of that, Finley puts a lot of energy into practices and games. 'You will never not hear him in our gym,' Marist coach Jordan Vidovic said. 'He gets the most out of what he wants to do. He came up with a huge dig (Friday) and I don't know if we won the point or not, but those are the spark plays and the energy plays and we needed that. 'He brings fun energy and comfort that settles everybody in.' While Finley said he received offers from other schools, the decision to walk away from volleyball wasn't easy. He confirmed he will miss playing the sport. 'I love the atmosphere with all of the parents and fans going crazy,' Finley said. 'I love my teammates. I love being there, and when we are in the gym together, nothing else matters. 'We work really hard and we are in it together. We all want the same thing, which is what I love.'
Chicago Tribune
28-05-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Neuqua Valley freshman Asha Kikama ensures ‘no one's going to get past her.' Not even Naperville Central.
Neuqua Valley's Asha Kikama was given a difficult assignment on Tuesday. The freshman defender had to mark Naperville Central star senior forward Callie Tumilty and had to move slightly out of position to do it. 'There's always nerves, but you gotta remember she's just a girl,' Kikama said. 'She goes to school like everyone else. So I have to bring the same intensity to her, keep her in front of me. 'As long as she doesn't shoot it, she's not going to score.' The Ohio State-bound Tumilty didn't score, mustering only two off-target shots, and neither did Naperville Central, which was shut out for the only time this season. The efforts by Kikama and other defenders like senior Chloe Orlow, plus a great goal by junior forward Alexis May, allowed the third-seeded Wildcats to upset the second-seeded Redhawks 1-0 in the Class 3A Naperville North Sectional semifinals. Neuqua Valley (16-3), which is in the sectional championship game for the first time since 2018, will play fourth-seeded Naperville North (14-5-3) at 5 p.m. Friday. 'I want to work as hard as I can for my whole team,' Kikama said. 'I have a good feeling, given that I gave everything I could have out there for my team and left everything on the field.' It's been that way all season for Kikama, who plays center back alongside Orlow. On Tuesday, though, Neuqua Valley coach Arnoldo Gonzalez had Kikama play defensive midfielder, slightly in front of Orlow. 'It was almost going back to my days and that stopper-sweeper position,' Gonzalez said. 'We just wanted that extra body in the middle playing a little bit high up. But if she needs that help, she can still tuck in.' The Redhawks (20-2-1), who had won 14 straight games since losing 2-1 to the Wildcats on April 8, nearly tucked away a goal 10 minutes after kickoff when senior midfielder Rebecca Ruggiero's header hit the crossbar. But they had few chances after that as Neuqua Valley defended vigorously all over the field, starting up top with Yale-bound senior forward Selma Larbi. 'Defensively, our plan was to just be extremely aggressive, to just go to every ball,' Larbi said. 'Then offensively, I knew I might have been outnumbered, so I just had to continue to run at them and try to force like a bad ball or like a bad kick.' The tactic disrupted Naperville Central's rhythm, and the Wildcats' confidence soared when May received a pass from freshman midfielder Caitlin King and ripped a 20-yard shot inside the right post with 37:32 left in the second half. Kikama and her teammates then held off every rush by the Redhawks. 'She was playing out of position tonight,' Orlow said. 'She stepped into the midfield, and she showed that she could play anywhere on the field. 'She's going to work her heart out out there so that we can keep the ball. Callie got nothing on her.' Larbi was impressed but not stunned. 'Asha is extremely consistent,' Larbi said. 'She's a very good player. It's not just this game. She's done well in almost every single game that we played this season. She's extremely, extremely aggressive, and it's really, really hard to get past her. 'As you can see tonight, a lot of the central attackers had a really hard time getting past her. She's just a wall, and she has the mindset that no one's going to get past her.' This mindset was even more prevalent down the stretch, when Kikama made two clean slide tackles in her box. That's a tactic rarely used at the high school level due to the risk, and Gonzalez sometimes warns her to be careful. 'But she's very confident,' Gonzalez said. 'She really reads the game well, so she's anticipating for the most part. She is never really getting stuck committing fouls. 'She plays on the edge, keeps you on the edge of the seat. But she's really good at what she does, which is anticipating and recovery.' Soccer talent runs in Kikama's family. Her father, Kividi, played at SIU-Edwardsville. Her brother Ayel, 20, played for Neuqua Valley, and her brother Aton, 16, plays club soccer. But playing great defense also requires confidence. Kikama said that comes from experience and supportive teammates. 'The bench is always cheering on everyone, and especially Chloe was telling me, 'You got it,'' Kikama said. 'Everyone is building you up together. That gives you a lot.'
Chicago Tribune
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
On a North Carolina college tour, South Elgin's Adriana Jimenez finds next home. ‘Been a staple for three years.'
Go your own way. South Elgin senior Adriana Jimenez is doing just that in high school, despite having followed in the footsteps of older sister Sammy by competing in both softball and cheerleading. 'She's had a nice career and been a staple for three years now,' Storm coach Brad Reynard said of Adriana. 'I've been fortunate to have her play both third base and catcher for me. 'Sammy probably caught a bit more than Adriana, but both have the same skill sets — cannons for arms, hit for power.' Jimenez didn't flex that power Monday for host South Elgin in a 6-2 Upstate Eight Conference win over West Aurora, but she did execute a sacrifice bunt with two runners on to key a four-run first inning that was all the support senior pitcher Anna Kiel needed. Kiel and sophomore first baseman Jenna Sheehan produced RBI doubles and senior second baseman Amber Gnutek added a two-run single for the Storm (22-4, 14-0), who are staging a strong defense of last year's conference title. South Elgin owns a two-game lead over Riverside-Brookfield, Reynard's alma mater, with four left to play. 'We like where we're at,' Reynard said. Kiel (10-3), a Loyola recruit, is swinging a hot bat. She went 3-for-3 to lift her average to .571 and checked the Blackhawks (14-14, 11-5) on three hits with nine strikeouts. West Aurora (14-14, 11-5) was held scoreless until the seventh when Ohio State-bound senior shortstop Sara Tarr drew a two-out walk and came home on a triple by senior outfielder Keira Hayton, a Missouri-St. Louis commit. Hayton scored on a single by sophomore outfielder Gracie Del Toro. Jimenez, meanwhile, did much of the research and legwork before signing with Gaston, a Division I junior college in Dallas, North Carolina, a suburb of Charlotte. She's three years younger than Sammy, who's playing at NCAA Division II Tusculum in Greeneville, Tennessee. 'I was on a search of schools and was interested in Belmont Abbey,' Jimenz said of the NCAA Division II program, also in the Charlotte area. 'I went there for a camp and decided to tour a lot of the schools in the area. I found it, met the coach and loved it and thought it was for me.' Jimenez, who also plays shortstop as well as third base and catcher for her travel team, continued to send Gaston coach Michael Steuerwald video and eventually received an offer. Gaston's program is in its third season and recently qualified for its second NJCAA World Series by winning region and district titles. Jimenez, who is hitting .319 with seven doubles and two home runs, is second on team for South Elgin with 26 RBIs. She hit .383 last season and earned all-conference honors. She has been a member of Storm competitive cheerleading teams that won one state title and placed third twice. 'Hopefully, we can do the same,' Reynard said. Last season, the Storm lost 2-1 in nine innings to Lake Park in a regional final and to the same Lancers 6-3 in a sectional final the previous season. 'I have confidence we'll make it further in the playoffs than we have,' Adriana said. 'I feel like this team, we like to have fun. In the past, it's been a little bit more businesslike. 'This team, it's more like we trust each other and we want to have fun all the time. Maybe we put more pressure on ourselves. This dynamic is different than any other year.' Reynard is enjoying the ride. 'Having seven years of Jimenz helping our program out has been a blessing,' he said. 'I joke with her parents (Oscar and Renee) about it. Next year, what am I gonna do now at third base?'
Chicago Tribune
02-05-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Naperville Central's Emma Russell makes connections on the field. More important are ones she makes off it.
Naperville Central's Emma Russell finds joy in helping others, so much so that she has decided to make a career of it. The senior forward plans to major in psychology at Arkansas. 'I just really liked the class when I took it, and a lot of my friends have told me I'm the group therapist,' Russell said. 'I'm the one that kind of helps with people's issues, so I think it would be nice to carry that into my future.' Russell, who will not play college soccer, said her interest in psychology is a fairly recent development. 'When I decided that I wasn't going to play soccer, I needed to figure out what to do,' she said. 'After I took the class, it really stuck with me. I think the brain is super interesting, everything that goes on in it.' Psychology isn't merely academic for Russell, who is using what she has learned and applying it to her game. 'It just helps me keep my calm,' she said. 'I do get in my head a lot, but it's easy to kind of get out of it when I start thinking, 'Take deep breaths and realize it's just a game and it's fun.' 'I'm out here for fun. I'm not playing in college, so I'm just going out for my last hurrah, and this is my favorite team. We all connect with each other.' That's true in different ways. Ohio State-bound senior forward Callie Tumilty, who is playing high school soccer for the first time, said Russell is warm and accepting. 'Being such a strong returning varsity player, she's definitely helped a lot of us through being comfortable, especially including the freshmen and even including me in things because I'm obviously newer to the team,' Tumilty said. 'She's very good at making everyone feel welcome, but also on the field keeping us structured, especially helping us out with the front line.' Russell has six goals and three assists this season for the Redhawks, who beat Lincoln-Way East 4-1 in the Naperville Invitational quarterfinals at Memorial Stadium on Thursday. Russell assisted on the first goal of the game, squeezing a perfect pass up the middle to Tumilty, who got a step on a defender and scored on a 20-yard shot to give the Redhawks (12-1-1) the early edge. 'That was awesome,' Tumilty said. 'She's very good at picking out who to play and just threading that needle.' While most center forwards focus first on shooting, Russell likes to post up and pass the ball, often to Tumilty. 'I know that she's one of our fastest players, and she's really good at 1v1, so I saw that little gap that she had,' Russell said. 'I was scared that it was going to close, so I just wanted to slip it through the middle.' Russell often is in the middle of things, as she was when sophomore midfielder Nicole Sacek gave the Redhawks a 2-0 lead against the Griffins (10-3-1). 'Part of it was Emma keeping that ball alive, throwing her body and not letting the defender get a clean service out,' Naperville Central coach Troy Adams said. 'That's what Emma does, and that determination is probably one of the best things about her as a player.' Russell's efforts off the field are just as important. She has thought about becoming a school psychologist or opening a clinic. 'It would be fun to come back because I understand the issues of high school and the stress,' she said. Social media, Russell noted, causes much of that stress. 'Because of Instagram and TikTok, I think a lot of teenage girls just compare themselves to other people, and that puts bad thoughts in your head,' Russell said. 'People just stay on their phone all day, so it's draining, and they don't go outside. 'It's such a different generation. Like my parents don't understand it. When they hear about problems, they're like, 'Why do you care?' and it's just hard.' Russell hopes to be part of the solution one day. She's optimistic too. 'I think once people get out of high school, it will click, and they'll realize that high school is just drama and nothing that happens here matters,' she said. 'The memories matter, but the drama you're going to forget about the second you leave.' Russell plans to make some incredible memories before she leaves. 'After last year when we lost in the supersectionals, the first thing we said was we're not doing this again,' she said. 'Ever since that game, it's just been in our heads that we're going to win state. 'I believe in it. We're one of the best teams in the state, and I think that we've shown it.'
Chicago Tribune
07-04-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Marist's Griffin McElroy gets to keep tournament trophy overnight. To MVP goes the spoils. ‘Came out of nowhere.'
There was some fighting, squabbling, bickering and trash-talking among friends, but Marist's Griffin McElroy won out in the end. Being the MVP has its perks. The senior middle hitter earned the honor of having the Karch Kiraly Tournament of Champions trophy that the RedHawks won in his hotel room Saturday night. 'I think the funniest thing was arguing over who was going to keep the trophy overnight,' McElroy said. 'I told them I would stay up all night. I wasn't going to go to sleep without this thing.' Anyone sleeping on McElroy and Marist over the weekend were in for a shock. The RedHawks started their five-match trip to California ranked No. 2 in the nation by the USA Today/American Volleyball Coaches Association. They played No. 1 Mira Costa in the Mustangs' gym Thursday and dropped a resounding 25-13, 25-12, 25-14 decision. 'We did the best we could but we needed to try a little bit harder,' McElroy said. 'We needed to get back in the right mindset.' They then dove into the tournament headfirst and took all four matches, including a 23-25, 25-20, 25-18, 25-23 win in the semifinals against No. 3 Huntington Beach and the thrilling 21-25, 26-28, 26-24, 25-22, 15-12 in the rematch Saturday against Mira Costa in Santa Barbara. Another stunner? With all of the Division I-caliber talent and 6-foot-6 or taller players in the tournament, the 6-1 McElroy — undersized at his position — was named MVP as chosen by the coaches. That wasn't on McElroy's bingo card when the plane went wheels up for the West Coast. 'I really got blindsided,' he said of winning the award. 'There's a lot of talent out there. There's a lot of talent on our team, and I did not see myself getting the MVP.' Ohio State-bound Christian Teresi and MIT commit Nathen Toth also made the all-tournament team for Marist (11-1). All three produced impressive numbers in the tournament. McElroy totaled 11 kills and five blocks in the championship match against Mira Costa (28-2) along with 15 kills, five blocks and two aces in the semifinals against Huntington Beach (27-3). 'We played some big, physical teams, and he just came out of nowhere and was flying around,' Marist coach Jordan Vidovic said of McElroy. 'His hitting was ridiculous. He stands out so much because he is undersized. He was playing Mira Costa and we heard about how big they were, but it's a whole different ballgame in person. 'He really caught those teams off guard with how fast and explosive he was. They really had to change their game to deal with him, and that created a bunch of open looks for the other guys.' Last year at this time, McElroy was celebrated for his return from a tibia injury, suffered in the previous summer during the AAU Nationals in Orlando, that he called 'gruesome.' He was told he might not play volleyball again. McElroy had surgery performed right away in Orlando, and after healing and rehabilitation, he was back on the court for the RedHawks in helping them win a state championship in June. This spring, things are much better on the health front for McElroy. 'A majority of the time, I'm 100%,' he said. 'I stopped wearing my ankle brace. I feel way more mobile, way more free. And, yeah, it feels amazing.' As was his performance in the Karch Kiraly Tournament of Champions. McElroy is hoping his performance can boost his college stock. Heading into the tournament, he was undecided, considering just academics at Illinois State and possibly joining the club team. 'To be so consistent versus these kinds of blockers, he just caught everybody's eye,' Vidovic said of McElroy. 'Every coach was talking about him to me. All of these California coaches, he was the first one they were noticing, so it wasn't surprising that he could be that guy to win the MVP.'
