Must Watch Matches for Chicagoland High School Volleyball: Week 8

We are officially two weeks away from the beginning of bracket play for playoffs. Leading into the final two weeks of the regular season, the competitive match-ups aren't slowing down for the majority of teams preparing for playoffs. Here are the top three matches and players to keep an eye on as we head into week 8 of High School volleyball in the Chicagoland area:   Match 1: Benet vs. Marist Tues. 10/11 at 6:00 pm   Marist has a busy week of matches ahead of them with great competition. Thursday they will be matched up against Lyons township, but their match today is the one you won't want to miss. Marist will be hosting Benet Academy today, as both teams are undefeated in the conference and will surely make this match a battle. Benet is currently 3-0 in conference play and 24-2 on the season, placing them top of the conference right now with Marist closely trailing behind in 2nd. Both programs are ranked among the top 5 in the state right now, with Marist ranked 4th and Benet being 2nd behind Mother McAuley. Freshman middle blocker, Lynney Tarnow has made herself a name in the last few weeks as one of the top performers for Benet as she has worked her way into the starting lineup. The 6'4" freshman has phenomenal body control that makes her dominant in the front row as an offensive producer and a front-line defender on the block. Watching Benet you wouldn't believe she is a freshman with her court demeanor and the confidence she carries on the court. Aniya Warren is another young athlete that has defined a name for herself in the benet program. The sophomore libero picks up anything, no matter where it is on the court and quickly sets the defensive standard for Benet's backcourt. She is very patient and composed in the way she plays on defense. Warren does a great job holding her defensive position and reading, then anticipating the defensive move she'll have to make giving her a constant one-up on any hitter she's reading.   Match 2: Metea Valley vs. Neuqua Valley Thurs. 10/13 at 5:30 pm   Metea Valley will host Neuqua Valley this Thursday and both teams will be fighting for second and third place in the conference. Metea Valley, who currently holds the second place has a very strong frontcourt that will put a lot of pressure on Neuqua Valley both on their size of the block, but also with more than one high-producing offensive option. Sophomore outside hitter and defensive specialist, Addison Torain has stepped up into an offensive role in the front row and isn't afraid to take aggressive swings at the sets she is given. She isn't the tallest player you'll see on the court, but she'll quickly show why she shouldn't be underestimated. Since accepting and owning her new role, she has tallied double-digit kills in multiple matches, which has led to much of Metea Valleys Success. Torain is particularly fun to watch because of how well she will use her wide range of offspeed shots but isn't afraid to take a crack at the ball when she sees a hole. Junior outside hitter, [player_tooltip player_id='135980' first='Camille' last='Morrison'] is another huge factor in the offensive success of Metea Valley. Her height already puts her at an advantage on the pin, but her fully extended contact with her aggressive arm swing beats any block she is swinging against. Her block press is just as fast as her arm swing, putting her hands in the hitter's face and taking away their options to swing. Finally, the success of their offense circles back to freshman setter, Ashley Ward. Ward's quick release and calm finish to her sets give her hitters a consistent location for the set making their overall play very composed.   Match 3: Willowbrook vs. Oak Park River Forest Thurs. 10/13 at 5:30 pm   Willowbrook will host Oak Park River Forest this Thursday as Willowbrook is looking to extend their eighteen match winning streak. Sisters Calli and Hannah Kenny have been the leading the offensive and defensive stats for Willowbrook. Calli Kenny, a junior setter and opposite, holds the highest hitting percentage for the team at 0.338. She currently has 101 kills in the 33 sets she played, averaging 3.1 kills per set. She gets the job done as an attacker, but her defense is a huge piece of the puzzle for Willowbrook, as Calli is among the top three digs leaders on the team right now with 101 digs. Hannah Kenny is everything her sister Calli is, just a year younger. As only a sophomore, she is following in her sisters' footsteps and leading in several statistical categories for the team, which shows how dynamic and well equipt they are to lead the team towards more success. [player_tooltip player_id='135950' first='Grace' last='Nelson'] will be the primary hitter that Willowbrook will focus on slowing down come Thursday. Nelson leads Oak Park in kills on the season so far with 292, averaging 5.4 kills per set. Standing 6'1", the Kansas commit picks the set off quickly, but also at a high contact point, which more often than not, has her either beating the block or naturally swinging over the blocker's hands. Senior middle blocker, [player_tooltip player_id='199551' first='Reese' last='Garland'] controls the blocking standard for Oak Park as she leads the team in blocks this season with 33. Garland's presence at the net cannot go unnoticed, which is what will make this Thursday's match all the more exciting to watch.

We are officially two weeks away from the beginning of bracket play for playoffs. Leading into the final two weeks of the regular season, the competitive match-ups aren't slowing down for the majority of teams preparing for playoffs. Here are the top three matches and players to keep an eye on as we head into week 8 of High School volleyball in the Chicagoland area: