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The Heat Index wonders if Naperville North seniors Jon Bunge and Dan Orna have injuries that will prevent them from playing when the state playoffs begin next week.

Maybe they played on Thursday night in a loss to Wheaton Warrenville South. I don't know because I was in Stevenson for the boys water polo state shindig (not that I would have gone to watch North when Central was playing for a share of the DVC, but this is not the point, don't ruin my momentum). Since the Huskies lost 21 and 21, I doubt they did play.

After seeing this post on the message board of volleyballmag.com...

This just in from our roving reporter: Bunge out with a high ankle spain. OH Dan Orna #2 out as well....

...I sent North coach Roger Strausberger an email Thursday morning asking if it is true that Bunge and Orna recently were injured. No response.

A source on Thursday afternoon did confirm that yes, the two seniors were in fact hurt. That's where the information train ran out of coal.

How hurt? How long will they be out? Did they play on Thursday?

UPDATE: Strausberger said in his email response Friday morning that Bunge and Orna did suffer ankle injuries. Orna played on Thursday, but Bunge did not. As for the playoffs for Bunge?

"It's a pretty good sprain and hope to have him back for sectionals," Strausberger wrote.

Nothing against a win on Senior Night, which the Benet boys volleyball team got on Tuesday against Nazareth, but the Redwings could have been celebrating a share of the East Suburban Catholic Conference crown and not their final home game.

If only the Redwings (23-11, 7-2 ESCC) could have back their loss at Joliet Catholic on April 22. Their loss to Mundelein two days later was understandble, not for how Benet played that night, which was best described as horrible, but because Carmel is a solid team.

But thanks to that ugly two-game loss at JCA, Marist won the ESCC with an 8-1 record. That one loss came thanks to Benet.

So as Benet coach Amy Van Eeckeren told The Heat Index on Wendesday night, the Redwings could have won the title, "If we hadn't been stupid."

I wouldn't have been that harsh, but I'm not going to argue with a pregnant woman.

Naperville Central beat defending boys volleyball state champ Wheaton Warrenville South in three games in Wheaton on Tuesday night, meaning the Redhawks still have a chance to share the DuPage Valley Conferece title with Glenbard East.

In what must have been an exciting match for those in attendance (read: not me), Central lost the first game 31-29 before winning 25-23 and 25-14.

UPDATE: The Sun-Times was there. Here is what Central junior Dan Dierking had to say about being down a game and points in Game 2.

"When we were down (9-3 and 12-6 early in game two), we talked about how much we wanted a chance to win conference," Dierking said. "It was a matter of us not giving up and pushing through. We've been in that situation before. We stayed focused."

Central (28-6) is now 11-2 in the DVC. No word yet if the Rams (11-1 for now) won on Tuesday, which would lock up at least a co-championship for them.

This sets up a megahugeical match for Central vs. Glenbard East on Thursday. Yes, megahugeical.

UPDATE: The Rams wiped out West Chicago, 25-18, 25-14 to improve to 12-1 in the DVC and grabbed at least a share of the conference crown. I'm still sticking with megahugeical.

Last month I figured out that a poster on the volleyballmag.com message board -- nvhsoh989 -- was Neuqua Valley senior Collin Adler. After posting my conclusion on The Heat Index, Adler confirmed that this less than subtle handle was indeed him.

On Sunday, Adler was participating in a chat about who the best outside hitters are and made a less than flattering comment about Naperville North's Jon Bunge.

Adler wrote that "Bunge is a little overrated."

yea you definitely can't say that the oh's from lyons are the hands-down the best, there are sooo many good oh's. Jordan Williams, compared to other top oh's this year is not good, give him time maybe but right now he doesn't even compare. Dodd is pretty good i guess but thats easy when you have netisinga as a setter. The top oh's in my opinion are (in no particular order) Vydra, Padden (I believe he's an oh), Murnane from Francis, Blackman from Neuqua, Larry from LF, Bunge is a little overrated from Nap North I think but still pretty solid, Dowjotas from Montini, both the guys from lyons should be included, and i'm probably forgetting some others. Rusty is playing oh for St. Charles North but they usually just have him hit A and B balls most of the time, he's definitely built to be a middle.

OK, so Adler did add that Bunge is "still pretty solid." But my best guess is that the halfway compliment gets lost in the overrated comment.

Saying that somebody is a little overrated, but still pretty solid is akin to telling your girlfriend that she is a little overweight, but still pretty.

Try that message out and let me know if she's feeling it.

I'm only slightly self-conscious about the fact that I don't understand the volleyball substitution rules. And the hand signals the refs do? I've got no clue what they mean.

While I guess I should learn what the hand signals are, just for good measure, I don't care that I don't understand the substitution rules, because they are pointless and silly. In a game where you can't be disqualified for fouls like basketball, why does it matter how often or at what point a player enters the game?

Just get in there before the next serve fella. We can all count to six. Quit wasting all this time and pencil lead inventing something as pretentious as a position called libero.

If you read the Prep Rewind on Wednesday, you saw that Neuqua Valley clinched the Upstate Eight Conference championship. What was confusing to us was that Neuqua coach Erich Mendoza reported that his team was 7-0.

Since Waubonsie Valley on May 13 is the last UEC team on its schedule, that would mean Neuqua would play an eight-match schedule when the other teams all have nine-match schedules. Didn't add up.

I took a hard look at Neuqua's schedule and found that the Wildcats are actually 8-0, which means Neuqua has clinched the conference championship outright. So, you know, celebrate and stuff.

As best as I can tell, given the facts I have, this is what I think the Upstate Eight Conference standings look like for boys volleyball.

Neuqua Valley (8-0)
Lake Park (6-2)
Bartlett (4-2)
St. Charles North (6-2 or 5-3)
Waubonsie Valley (5-3)
St. Charles East (4-3)
South Elgin (2-6)
Streamwood (2-6)
Elgin (1-7)
Larkin (0-7)

When Benet senior Mike Quigley broke his right ankle last week, junior Kevin Massura probably knew exactly how it felt. Not the broken ankle per se, but the feeling of a devastating injury that ends a season.

Quigley was the starting outside hitter for the Redwings when his season was shattered in the first match of the Benet Invitational. Now Massura has returned to the starting lineup a year after he tore the ACL and miniscus in his left knee.

When Massura was lost for the season last year, it was Quigley that stepped up. Now it's Massura's turn.

"It's just a testament to how great these kids are," Benet coach Amy Van Eeckeren told The Heat Index on Saturday night.

Massura's return to the rotation has been notable this week. He led the Redwings (20-10) with eight kills and three aces in a win at Downers North on Wednesday and had nine kills and two blocks in a win at St. Patrick's on Thursday.

Massura had surgery in June, missed club season because of rebab and didn't step onto the court unitl January. Van Eekeren said Massura was tentative at the begining of the season, but she has noticed a surge in confidence from the 6-foot-3 Massura of late.

"I'm pleased he's stepping up," Van Eekeren said.

After losing to Naperville Central on Thursday night, Naperville North coach Roger Strausberger said he would be holding open tryouts every day as he searches for the right combination of Huskies.

The Huskies tried out two lineup changes at the Lincoln-Way East Invitational: moving Mike Henry from outside hitter to the middle and starting junior Ryan Kristensen at setter in place of senior Mike Buckman.

While the Huskies (19-11) presented their coach with more frustrating results -- two-game losses to Lake Forest and Lincoln-Way Central in bracket play -- Strausberger told The Heat Index on Saturday evening that he was encouraged with the play of Henry and Kirstensen.

Henry, a 6-foot-6 senior, has played in the middle on his club team and he played well enough this weekend to earn all-tournament honors. North has struggled all season with its blocking, so this move might help shore up its defense.

"He's found a spot in the middle, definitely," Strausberger said.

As for Kristensen, who like Buckman came into the season without any varsity experience, there are still some question marks, but Strausberger wants to see if Kristenesen can become effective and consistent with his decision making and his delivery.

When the Huskies (7-3) play at DuPage Valley Conference leader Glenbard East (9-1) on Tuesday, expect Kristensen to be the starter.

"I guess I'll try Kristensen again," Strausberger said.

Hello, egg? I'd like you to meet face.

It may be possible (read: it is the case) that I made a mistake when I reported that the Naperville Central boys volleyball team was in first place in the DuPage Valley Conference after Thursday's easy win over Naperville North.

It is true (please believe me!) that the Redhawks are 8-2 in the DVC. It is true that Glenbard East beat defending state champion Wheaton Warrenville South in two games on Thursday.

But it seems that the Rams are 9-1, not 8-2 as my story reported. Obviously my word alone is no good.

So if the Sun-Times has it right, that means Central trails Glenbard East by one game in the DVC. WW South and North are both two games back at 7-3.

With four games remaining on its DVC schedule, Central can still catch the Rams. The Redhawks play Wheaton North and West Chicago next week and finish the docket with both heavyweights: WW South on May 13 and Glenbard East on May 15.

Neuqua Valley senior Jake Blackman told The Heat Index that he will attend Indiana University and play on its men's volleyball club.

The Wildcats outside hitter also made visits to Colorado and Missouri. He wrote in an email to The Heat Index on Thursday that playing for a Big Ten school was the main reason he chose to play for the Hoosiers.

"The main deciding factor was the volleyball team and how it's a big ten team and I can play against my friends from other big ten schools, not to mention I'll get to play my brother who is at Wisconsin Madison," Blackman wrote.

Already on the roster at IU is Naperville North graduate Scott Anerino.

The IHSA released the pairings for the boys volleyball sectionals on Thursday, and top-seed Naperville Central could face regional host Waubonsie Valley in the championship of the Waubonsie Valley Regional.

As The Heat Index reported on Wednesday, Warriors coach Al Lagger was not pleased with his team being the 8th seed. This might be why.

Waubsonie will play 10th seed Minooka in one of the semifinals on May 20. Central will play the winner of Lemont (16) and West Aurora (18) in the other semifinal.

In other games on May 20, second-seeded Neuqua Valley will play the winner of Romeoville (15) and IMSA (19) in the first semifinal of the Plainfield North Regional.

Naperville North, the third seed, will play Lockport (14) in the Bolingbrook Regional.

Benet, the fourth seed, will play the winner of Plainfield Central (13) and Oswego East (17) in the Oswego East Regional.