Winning regional championships isn’t easy.
But the St. Joseph-Ogden High School volleyball program has made it look that way. The Spartans will attempt to add more IHSA hardware to the school’s trophy case when they play host Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin at 6 p.m. Thursday in a Class 2A regional championship match in Bismarck. SJO has won 15 regional titles in the program’s history, with eight of those happening since 2010.
SJO (27-8) advanced to Thursday night’s championship match after sweeping Hoopeston Area on Tuesday night in a regional semifinal match.
It was one of several victories by the Spartans in the past few weeks. Here’s a recap of what coach Abby McDonald’s program has been up to on the court:
Spartans defeat Cornjerkers
SJO is a second seed in the IHSA postseason, and the Spartans defeated ninth-seeded Hoopeston Area 25-18, 25-23 in a BHRA Regional semifinal match on Tuesday night.
Senior Shayne Immke and junior Addison Roesch nearly compiled double-doubles in sparking the Spartans. Immke finished with 11 kills, nine digs and two aces, while Roesch supplied nine kills and 10 digs.
Junior Peyton Williams added five kills and six digs, with senior Taylor Hug contributing 26 assists and two digs. Senior Mikyla Haley also had a solid night with six digs and one ace.
SJO wins on senior night
Playing their final home match inside SJO’s gymnasium, the Spartans honored seniors like Immke, Hug, Haley, Josey Frerichs, Emma Ward and Katie Oehmke.
Then, SJO went out and defeated Bloomington Central Catholic 25-19, 25-22 in an Illini Prairie Conference match. The Spartans finished league play with an 8-1 record, defeating St. Thomas More, Unity, Pontiac, Rantoul, Monticello, Prairie Central, Paxton-Buckley-Loda and BCC. Its only conference loss happened on Oct. 15 at home against Chillicothe IVC, with the Grey Ghosts winning 25-11, 25-15.
In the senior night win against BCC, Roesch delivered six aces, five kills and seven digs for a solid all-around match.
Immke (six kills, four digs), Hug (13 assists, nine digs) and Ward (six digs) also chipped in significantly.
Spartans handle road matches with ease
One of the key reasons SJO has had such a successful season and is on the cusp of winning another regional title? Winning on the road.
SJO won its last 11 road matches of the regular season, including sweeps against Paxton-Buckley-Loda on Oct. 18, Warrensburg-Latham on Oct. 17, Fisher on Oct. 12 and Prairie Central on Oct. 11.
The Spartans beat PBL 25-20, 25-18 as Roesch finished with 10 kills, five digs and two aces. Williams contributed five kills, seven digs and one ace, while Hug handed out 18 assists, made five digs, landed three kills and served one ace.
Haley (six digs, two aces) and Ward (six digs, one ace) were also key in the win against the Panthers.
SJO defeated Warrensburg-Latham 25-16, 25-17 behind double-doubles from Roesch, Immke and Hug. Roesch delivered 11 kills, 12 digs and three aces, Immke finished with 10 kills and 13 digs and Hug wound up with 24 assists and 10 digs. Ward also contributed with 10 digs.
SJO won 25-12, 25-15 at Fisher thanks to a balanced approach. Roesch had eight kills to go along with four digs and two aces. Immke added eight kills and four digs, Williams had five kills, three digs and one ace and Frerichs contributed offensively with four kills. Hug directed the offense by handing out 25 assists and adding five digs.
The Spartans earned a 25-16, 25-18 win at Prairie Central as Hug contributed a double-double with 21 assists and 13 digs.
Roesch led SJO with seven kills. She added five digs and three aces. Williams (six kills, 12 digs), Immke (seven kills, nine digs), Haley (eight digs) and junior Helene Jones (two blocks) also played pivotal roles in the win.
Odds and ends
— SJO competed in the Quincy Tournament on Oct. 8, coming home with a 3-2 record. The Spartans defeated Quincy’s junior varsity team, Camp Point Central and Chatham Glenwood before sustaining losses against Limestone and Hartsburg-Emden.
— Prior to the Quincy Tournament, the Spartans beat Salt Fork 25-12, 25-8 in a nonconference home win on Oct. 6.
Immke produced eight kills and three digs, Roesch wasn’t far behind with seven kills, five digs and four aces and Williams supplied five kills, six digs and two aces.
Hug (19 assists, four aces, four digs) and Frerichs (three kills) also chipped in during the win against the Storm.
— If SJO defeats BHRA on Thursday night to win a regional championship match, the Spartans would advance to a sectional semifinal match on Halloween. SJO would play in Riverton at 6 p.m. against either Williamsville or Warrensburg-Latham. Those two teams play Thursday night in a regional championship match in Warrensburg. The Athens Regional and Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond Regional also feed into the Riverton Sectional, with the winners of those two regionals set to play at 7 p.m. on Monday in the second sectional semifinal match. ALAH and Monticello meet at 6 p.m. in Arthur on Thursday, while Pleasant Plains and Petersburg PORTA play at 6 p.m. in Athens on Thursday.
The Riverton Sectional championship match is slated for 6 p.m. next Wednesday.
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