Defending state champion Mt. Pulaski is out. Out, too, is Wheaton St. Francis, which was considered the prohibitive favorite to win the 1990 Class A state volleyball championship.
Seven-time state qualifier Immaculate Conception isn`t anywhere to be found either. And Shelbyville, considered by many a serious contender, has been knocked to the canvas.
So just who is favored to win the Class A tournament, which opens Friday in Normal? Good question.
Hoopeston-East Lynn, runner-up in 1989, is in. The Cornjerkers are led by 5-foot-10-inch senior Robyn Read, who averages 15 kills a match. In, too, is Breese Mater Dei, which has collected five trophies in the last 12 years, including a championship trophy in 1988.
Also in is Mendota, led by senior Pam Smith, who had 10 kills in a 1989 quarterfinal loss to Immaculate Conception.
Princeton is in, led by 5-7 senior Nicole Coates, whom coach Rita Placek believes is the best hitter to come out of that west-central Illinois area in a decade.
In, too, is Colchester, whose big front line of 6-foot Elizabeth Miller and 5-10 Stephanie Biswell has combined for 508 kills.
And then there`s Huntley, a team that had to knock off both St. Francis and Immaculate Conception to earn its first trip Downstate. It`s also a team that has lost six matches during the past four years.
Much of the credit for the late-season surge goes to four-year starter Heather Kahl, who has more than 900 career kills, despite spending some of her career as a setter. She`s supported by an experienced group led by seniors Jami Greve and Mary Ann Miller.
”We feel we`ve got as good a chance as anybody, but I don`t think we feel like we have a lock on it or anything like that,” said Huntley coach Jim Tichy. ”Our kids really believe they are capable of winning it. Now we have to see what happens.”
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