For all of the success Centennial's volleyball program has enjoyed during Stan Bergman's coaching tenure, there remains a void.

The Chargers have had 20-win seasons (now 11 in a row), 30-win seasons (now three in a row), regional championship seasons (eight of the past nine years) and sectional championship seasons (now two in a row).

And yet, there has not been a Big 12 Conference title. Only once since Centennial joined the league has the school earned a share of first place (1997 with Normal West).

In the weeks ahead, that could change. With Indiana recruit Morgan Leach leading the way, Centennial is the preseason Big 12 favorite in voting done by the conference's head coaches.

"That speaks to our kids and what they have done to put themselves in that situation," Bergman said.

One area where the Chargers won't come up short is in height. Leach and sophomore Lauren Cloyd are each 6-foot-2. Junior Kelly Wachtel and sophomore Allie Shannon are both 6-foot.

"This is by far the biggest team we've had," Bergman said. "We're trying to see how we can utilize our height and experience to benefit the team."

All 14 athletes on the varsity roster have club experience, and Bergman estimated "75 percent" of the junior varsity team has a club background.

"Having as many kids as we have commit is a definite advantage," he said.

Leach was the lone underclassman on last year's All-Area first team. She will be the second of Bergman's athletes to play in the Big Ten Conference, joining former Minnesota player Kelly Schmidt.

When Bergman coached Leach as an eighth-grader, he was unsure how she would develop.

"She was a gangly young girl and then a fire lit under her after her eighth-grade year," Bergman said. "She started growing and I saw a transformation."

The coach isn't sure that Leach will hit her peak during her prep career.

"She is still growing and getting stronger and could be someone a college coach will mold into a really dominant player," he said. "I see her growing as a person, a player and an athlete, and a lot of those other schools will kick themselves in the rear for not going after her."

For the first time in four years, setter Melanie Moore won't be on the court during Centennial matches.

"Obviously, we're starting a new chapter," Bergman said.

Senior Shelby Galardy and sophomores Paulina Nottingham and Lindsay Rogan are the top prospects at the position. Whether Bergman settles on one or two setters is yet to be determined.

"We'll use the first 35 matches to see who can push us to that next level that will take us into the postseason," he said. "They are all in control of their own destiny. We may have kids rotating in and out. A lot of teams don't have the luxury of putting 14 out there and competing as well as we hope to. We are grateful to be in the situation we are in."

A student coach

Former All-Area Player of the Year and Illinois athlete Kylie McCulley (Clinton) has added the title of Champaign Central head coach to her duties that include being a full-time student at Illinois and student-teaching at Robeson School.

The coach she replaced, Kristine Anderson, helped McCulley become acclimated to her new role. Anderson and McCulley were teammates for three years in high school along with one season with the Illini.

"She helped for a few weeks before I was left on my own," McCulley said. "That's the type of person she is. She goes over and beyond to do anything for anyone."

McCulley's toughest task, she said, has been to "transfer the knowledge and system I want to teach to the girls," she said.

She's not making massive changes to what Anderson implemented.

"It's easier because Kristine was teaching the same sort of thing," McCulley said.

Setter Audrey Aeilts has an assortment of hitters at her disposal, including senior Courtney Richardson, junior Alex Pelmore and sophomore Jaelyn Westfield, the team's tallest player at 5-11.

Defensively, senior libero Esther Kemper is regarded as one of the Big 12 Conference's best.

Sabers still strong

Despite losing five seniors from last year's 30-win team, St. Thomas More shared the top preseason position in the Sangamon Valley with St. Joseph-Ogden.

Sabers coach Erika Tock was not surprised by the voting of her colleagues.

"Our juniors never got to play because our seniors were very talented, so nobody got a look at our juniors, but they are also very talented," Tock said.

Six seniors are on this year's 12-player varsity roster, including returnees Maddie Kunas (setter) and Becca Millage (outside hitter) as well as a libero who has aspirations of playing in college (Victoria Hennessey). Junior Megan Cassagrande, St. Thomas More's tallest player at 5-11, is another key returnee.

Tock worked last year's juniors into some matches but did not play them in junior varsity matches.

"They sat out quite a bit last year and are excited to get going," Tock said. "They are anxious to have this year."

The Sabers have no lack of prospects at the lower levels. Seventeen freshmen are participating; five of whom have been moved up to the junior varsity squad.

Parkland recruit leads SJ-O

For St. Joseph-Ogden, the competition won't just begin in the matches.

"This is one of the most competitive teams we've had in a while," coach Abby McDonald said. "We have a deep bench, and those kids will see a lot of playing time."

Middle hitter Shelby Geers, who has committed to Parkland College, headlines a strong corps of hitters that also will feature Josey Fruhling, Hannah Gaylord, Audra James and Courtney Learned.

Last year's setter, Janna Buck, graduated. Her replacement could be either Emily Griswell or Kelsie Rademacher.

"That position is still up in the air," McDonald said. "We will do whatever it takes (one setter or two setters) for the offense to work the best. Right now, it is trial and error."

Keeping track

Four of the nine varsity players for Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley are athletes who earned state medals last spring in the IHSA track and field meet. The highly decorated Falcons are individual medalists Angel Gaesser and Sydni Meunier along with two teammates they joined on the third-place 1,600-meter relay: Ali Cowell and Jordyn Nettleton.

At Urbana, two-time 300 hurdles state placer McKenzie White returned to volleyball after a two-year absence.

Experience returns

Unity has three seniors on its roster this season, but one is libero Emily Godsell, who played in the state championship match with the Rockets in 2008. She had four digs in the semifinal victory.

Baby steps

Urbana Uni High coach Lis Pollock will take maternity leave in about a month, when her first child is due. Her volleyball team is in a rebuilding phase after graduating five of last year's starters.

(Not) new coaches

Arthur native Lydia Benson is in her first year as Arcola's volleyball coach, but she has an advantage over many counterparts who are just getting started. She coached junior high volleyball in the district the past three seasons.

At Hoopeston Area, John Zollar takes over a program that once competed for a state championship. He needs no introduction to the Cornjerkers' setter, his daughter Jenna. John Zollar coached volleyball for nine years at Rossville-Alvin, seven as the head coach.

Coaching turnover

Arcola, Central and Hoopeston Area aren't the only area programs with new leadership this fall. In all, 13 of 48 area schools with volleyball have a different head coach from last year.

Returning to their alma maters are Schlarman's Heidi Crane (1998 graduate) and Watseka's Elizabeth Verkler (2002 graduate).

Taking over at Argenta-Oreana is 2003 Paxton-Buckley-Loda graduate Mindi Parsons Logue. At Blue Ridge, former Kewanee head coach Evan Miles takes over. At Christ Lutheran, Jesse Balk is the coach. DeLand-Weldon's new coach is Jay Schatz. At Fisher, 2005 UI squad member Katie Luhrsen, a Wheaton native, is the new head coach. At Georgetown-Ridge Farm, former Blackburn College coach Kim Fraser takes over. At LeRoy, former Illinois State University captain Mary Catherine Deming is the coach. Prairie Central's head coach is Kim Capretz, a former boys' volleyball assistant at Oak Lawn and Reavis. Unity's coach, Sarah Juenger, is a former assistant who is originally from Orion.

Another former area athlete who has moved into the coaching ranks is Stacy Terneus (1994 Argenta-Oreana graduate), who is taking over at Central A&M.

Notebook items

Heritage will be without the player chosen as the top returning hitter in the Little Okaw Valley Conference, junior Mariah Coleman, for about another month. She suffered an injury to her non-hitting wrist. ... Mahomet-Seymour's Abbie Magrini, who set the area record for digs in a season (611) last year, is recovering from an offseason torn anterior cruciate ligament. ... Vermilion Valley Conference teams will wear pink uniforms the week of Oct. 11 as they again participate in the Sharon Bassett Breast Cancer Foundation Volleyball Week. ... Bismarck-Henning's 22-member team (14 of whom are freshmen or sophomores) volunteered at last Saturday's Kimberly Tauer 5K Benefit Run. The event generated more than $10,000.

Save the date
EVENT    DATE
Regionals    Oct. 26-30
Sectionals    Nov. 2-4
Super-sectionals    Nov. 6
State at ISU (above)    Nov. 12-13
N-G All-Area    Nov. 17
N-G All-State    Nov. 19

N-G Top 10
SCHOOL    2009 RECORD    COMMENT
1. Centennial    34-6    11 straight 20-win seasons
2. Tri-County    30-5    Five straight 20-win seasons
3. St. Joseph-Ogden    23-8    Nine 20-win seasons in past 10 years
4. St. Thomas More    30-5    Five straight 20-win seasons
5. Bismarck-Henning    23-4    Four straight 20-win seasons
6. Schlarman    27-5    Three 20-win seasons in past four years
7. Unity    25-9    Five 20-win seasons in past six years
8. Champaign Central    19-18    Last 20-win season was in 2007
9. Fisher    18-12    Last 20-win season was in 2005
10. Watseka    27-6    Two straight 20-win seasons