Exactly two weeks after the Geneva and St. Charles East girls volleyball teams battled it out for the Upstate Eight Conference River title, the teams meet again Tuesday for even higher stakes.
The Saints and the Vikings will meet in the second Class 4A Larkin Sectional semifinal on Tuesday night.
The teams have split a pair of meetings this season, with East defeating Geneva at the Mizuno Cup tournament and Geneva more recently winning the conference showdown, 25-27, 29-27, 25-20.
Having to handle a team as strong as East again, only two weeks later, isn't an enviable position to be in, but Geneva coach KC Johnsen said he wasn't sure either team had an intangible advantage in the sectional rematch.
"I'm not that good at spinning things," Johnsen said after his team beat Batavia in Thursday's regional final. "I'm sure both teams will come ready to play and forget about that last one. The next one is the one that counts."
Vikings libero Kelly Dalheim said the teams' familiarity with one another makes the match all the more emotional.
"We know them, we know how they play, so we both want it that much more," Dalheim said.
The winner of the East-Geneva match will play the winner of the other semifinal, Glenbard West against St. Charles North, in Thursday's sectional final.
