CIVIC MEMORIAL 20-25-25, HIGHLAND 25-23-20: In a semifinal of the CM Regional on Tuesday night, Oct. 29, 2024, the host Eagles won a hard-earned three-set win over Highland to move to the final.
Bella Thein was dominant in the game for the Eagles and had 16 kills. Teammate Addie Jeffery had seven kills, Meredith Brueckner, Jeffery, and Kaitlyn Ogden had a block apiece. Megan Griffith had 18 assists, with Aubrey Voyles having 15 assists. Marissa Perez had 16 digs. In contrast, Thein had 10 digs, and Griffith served up the only ace.
The Eagles improve to 20-13, and meet Effingham, a 25-21, 25-21 winner over Jersey in the first semifinal, In the final on Thursday, starting at 6 p.m. with the Panthers winding up their season at 10-24-1.
CM head girls volleyball coach Kristie Ochs said she is very proud of her team and how they performed on Tuesday night against Highland in a huge win for her squad.
“I am also really exciting to play Effingham again on Thursday,” she said. “We expect an exciting match. Their middles are pretty tough. We will be keying in on that. Hopefully, we will have a great fan base and help us keep our energy up.”
In other IHSA Class 3A action at the Olney Richland County, Triad advanced to the final with a 25-19, 25-17 win over Mattoon, while Charleston took a 25-22, 22-25, 25-22 win over Salem. The Knights are now 16-16, while the Trojans go to 12-19 and will meet in the final on Thursday at 6 p.m. The Green Wave ends the season at 14-20, with the Wildcats concluding at 19-14.
In the Mascoutah regional, the host Indians won over East St, Louis 25-7, 25-9, and Centralia eliminated Freeburg 27-25, 20-25, 25-20, Mascoutah is now 28-7, while the Orphan Annies go to 19-15, with the two side meeting in the final Thursday evening at 6 p.m. The Flyers season ends at 5-26, and the Midgets wind up at 21-15.
In the Herrin regional semifinals, Waterloo won over Marion 25-11, 25-11, and Carbondale took a 22-25, 25-16, 25-14 wub over the host Tigers. The Bulldogs are now 23-12, while the Terriers improve to 26-9, and will play each other for the championship Thursday night at 6 p.m. The Wildcats finish up at 16-17, and Herrin’s season concludes at 16-18,
