Class 2 Final Four Preview

Hermann Bearcats 29-5-1 vs. Jefferson BlueJays 32-6-1   Dynasty is one word to describe Hermann High School Bearcat Volleyball team. The Bearcats finished 3rd in last year’s Class 3 state tournament but dropped to Class 2 this year. Hermann is going for a state record 15th state championship, and I don’t see anyone standing in the way. Hermann plays one of the toughest schedules of any class size school. They’ve beaten Illinois power Wheaton St. Francis 2-1, and that’s when I knew Hermann again had a state championship-caliber team. You would think a team would take a step back after it graduated one of the best players in program history, but it seems they just got better. That’s what dynasties do, and they reload, not rebuild.   Hermann losses: Edwardsville, IL 0-2 Plainfield North, IL 0-2 Rock Bridge 1-3 St. Francis Borgia 0-2 and 0-3   Key wins: Helias Catholic 3-2 Blair Oaks 3-1 Wheaton St. Francis, IL 2-1 Champaign Centennial, IL 2-0   Common Opponent: Rock Bridge won 17-25, 17-25, 25-23, 12-25 Key players: Holly Heldt (2023) Holly has stepped right up, taken the reigns of this team offensively, and leads the way with 388 kills. Holly is the go-to player and has been one of the best players since her freshman year. She had big shoes to fill and has done it seamlessly. Grace Godat (2022) After last year’s third-place finish, Hermann found a solid backup to Holly. Godat has put down 189 kills and 226 digs. If she can get going on the outside, she can help open up the middle for Holly. Cydney Moeckli (2022) She has been running the show it seems like forever at Hermann. She puts up nice balls to her four-headed attacking monster and tosses in her offensive-minded attitude; the setter has 894 assists and 98 kills. Watch for her make bad passes into great sets. [player_tooltip player_id="119210" first="Chelsey" last="Moeckli"] (2022) So you got a sister duo setter and libero on the Bearcats team that provides you with solid 1st and 2nd contacts. This dirty-down defender has scooped up 402 digs on the season and gets the offense humming.   Jefferson BlueJays will not just step aside for Hermann, and this moment has been building now for the last three years. And if any team is going to give Hermann a run for their money, it will be Jefferson. After starting the year, 1-3 Jefferson caught stride in the Dig for Life Tournament and finished 2nd behind Class 5 semifinalist Rock Bridge. Since that opening week, they’ve only gone 31-3-1 and knocked off some good teams along the way. Won a match with Valle Catholic 25-19, 25-21, 25-20 to avenge a week one loss.   Jefferson Losses: Seckman 2-3 Ste. Genevieve 1-3 Valle Catholic 2-3 Rock Bridge 2-0 North County 2-3 Briarcrest Christian, TN 0-2   Key Wins: Valle Catholic 3-0 St. Pius X 3-0 Seckman 2-1   Common Opponent: Rock Bridge won 16-25, 13-25   Key Players: [player_tooltip player_id="102557" first="Ava" last="Roth"] (2023) She does it all for Jefferson but is known more for her libero skills in club and reached 1000 digs for her career earlier this year and third on the team in kills with 281. [player_tooltip player_id="101698" first="Kirstyn" last="Loyd"] (2023) The 5’11 outside/middle has a nasty line shot that will hurt some defenders. When playing the middle, she loves the across-the-body swing to the deep corner. She gets hot; she’s hard to cool down, so Hermann needs a double block on her every swing. Emma Breier (2023) Smooth footwork and excellent lateral movement have this 6’0 middle/outside hitter second on the team in kills with 342. In my opinion, she is a better middle hitter because of her size, athleticism, and speed. Paige Siebert (2023) Who makes this team go? Paige Siebert is the 5’6 junior setter with 1078 assists on the year. She has a quartet of hitters to feed or uses her sneaky setter dump for a point.   Prediction: Hermann is senior loaded and has been here done that swagger about them. Jefferson is a junior-dominated team that has just as much talent as Hermann. Jefferson is still a year away from winning Class 2 but should be playing this match for the championship and not a semifinal. Hermann wins in 4 tight sets.     Skyline Lady Tigers 20-8-4 vs. Bishop LeBlond Golden Eagles 26-9-1 These two are new to me this year because I honestly didn’t think they would be in this position. After some club coaching chat I did find out some information about these programs. Not really on my radar all season long, so congrats on getting here. Skyline beat Liberty in the quarters 3-0, and I know Liberty was a solid team. LeBlond knocked off Lawson, the 4th place finisher last year, 3-1 in the quarterfinals.   Common Opponent: None   Key Players: Jadyn Foster (2022) | Skyline They thought last year was the year for the Tigers, but an upset prevented that trip. With 261 kills on the year, Jadyn is the team leader. Grace Edge (2023) | Skyline Junior Grace Edge comes in 2nd on the team in kills with 206 and 1st in blocks with 65. Chayla Tuning (2024) | Skyline Sophomore with 156 kills is currently 3rd on the team in kills and 3rd in digs. Kianna Herrera (2022) LeBlond The 5’10 outside hitter has put down 370 kills on the season to lead the team. With a powerful shot, she likes to get crosscourt in exploit the seem. If she has a big game, the Eagles will take the match. Sadie Ward (2023) | LeBlond 2nd on the team in kills behind Herrera, look for Sadie to get going early for the Eagles. She will need another big match to help her team make the finals. Paige Perry (2023) | LeBlond The 5’9 middle is a big presence for the Eagles and will need a solid night defensively to help contain Skyline’s outside hitters.   Prediction: Bishop LeBlond in 4 From what I’ve heard and seen on video LeBlond is more of a well-rounded team. Again don’t know much about these two because I wasn’t keeping my eye on them enough to know who the better team would be. Right now, from what I’ve read and heard, go with the Golden Eagles.