Neither of the out of state entries in the Tiger Classic made it to the gold bracket, despite arriving at tournament with impressive pedigrees.
Archbishop Moeller of Cincinnati is the defending state champion in Ohio. Mueller has won five state titles, including three of the last four.
The Crusaders went 3-2 and finished in 11th place.
DeSmet Jesuit is a former state champion in Missouri that has made it to the final four or the championship game every year but one in the 11 years boys volleyball has been an sanctioned sport.
The Spartans went 4-1, winning the silver bracket, to finish in ninth place.
After beating Waubonsie Valley in the silver quarterfinals, DeSmet coach John Hawkey told The Heat Index the trip to Wheaton was a in large part on the recommendation of the coaching staff at Vianney, another St. Louis area volleyball power that has won eight of the past 10 state titles.
With a limited pool of 45 teams in the St. Louis area, the Tiger Classic provided a welcome change DeSmet.
"The thing that decided it for us was listening to Vianney playing here over the years," Hawkey said. "They've always said nothing but positive things about the talent. Yeah, I've read about Wheaton (Warrenville South) and the other teams up here over the years and just hear how great the programs are in this area."
Almost Again
Tiger Classic runners-up Glenbrook North lost in a tournament championship game for the second week in a row. Last week it was against Naperville North at Buffalo Grove.
Spartans coach Chris Cooper said finishing second at WW South tells his team that they can compete and beat best teams in state. He said it also tells him that the Spartans need to work on their blocking defense, which he said has been exposed to varrying degrees the last two weeks.
"We've made two finals in our first two tournaments, so that's good," Cooper said. "But we've got to learn how to close them out."
Chorus Line
If you were watching a game in the fieldhouse, enjoying a lukewarm slice of pizza in the cafeteria, checking out the funny hair styles of WW South athletes over the years or just in the general vicinity of the Tiger Classic on Saturday, you probably don't want to hear the following songs anytime soon.
"Build me up buttercup" by The Foundations
"Aint no mountain high enough" by Marvin Gaye
That's because the Buffalo Grove players were signing them constantly while they jogged around the school, while they were in the locker room and especially during warmups. The Bison seem to be very big on team unity.
I was going to ask Naperville North coach Roger Strausberger about the signing after the Huskies faced BG in the gold quarterfinals. But since the Bison worked over North for the second time in as many weeks, I instead asked why North hasn't figured out BG.
"They are a good team," Strausberger said. "That's it. That's pretty obvious. They're one of the top five teams in the state. They're gonna put you on your heels if you're not on your game."
After North lost to Naperville Central in the fifth-place game, ending a 14-game, six-season winning streak vs. Redhawks, Strausberger dumped on his team's attitude and approach to the game. He said there were too many individuals on the team right now.
This sounds a lot like what North captains Jon Bunge and Mike Henry told The Sun before the season. They said the team chemistry issues were not going to be hinderance this season.
"Some of the chemistry from last year is pouring into this year a little bit," Strausberger said. "That's too bad. I don't know. It's early in the season."
Maybe the Huskies should start singing. Hopefully not, but whatever you do fellas, pick some new songs.
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