Crossroads Classic Volleyball Tourney This Weekend

The 26th annual BSN Sports Crossroads Classic volleyball tournament is set to go this Friday and Saturday. Play begins at 6 Friday evening on four courts at Effingham High School and one each at Effingham Junior High and Sacred Heart School. A champion should be crowned about 5 p.m. Saturday. In between there are 60 exciting volleyball matches.

This is a 24-team event with high school teams from four states. They come here to face some strong early season intrastate and interstate competition.

How good are these teams?  In the previous 25 years of this tournament 34 teams from this event went on to win state championships, but 26 of those teams did not win this tournament along the way. That’s testament to the overall strength of the field.

Last year the participants again showed their mettle in post season play.  Of course most of the local interest was with one of the hosts, the Windsor/Stewardson-Strasburg co-op, taking third place in Illinois 1A.  However, on the same court a few hours later, Belleville Althoff took home the third place trophy in 2A.

The Classic champion, Lexington Henry Clay, was the state runner-up to the No. 4 team in the nation in the Kentucky single class state tournament.   In Missouri two Classic teams battled for the 2A state title with Festus St Pius X taking championship honors and Hermann getting the second place trophy.  Five other Crossroads Classic teams advanced to their state tournament round of sixteen.  They were: Edwardsville, Glenbard West, Libertyville, and Wheaton St Francis, all in Illinois 4A, and McCracken County in Kentucky.

The event is hosted by Effingham High School and the Windsor/Stew-Stras Coop. There’s also some added local interest this year as Teutopolis joins the field of 24.

If you want to see what really good high school volleyball looks like, this is the place. You get to see, early in the season, the quality of teams that will still be playing after most of the other teams have been eliminated.

Crossroads Classic Tournament

Friday's Matches

At Effingham High School, No. 1

Match 1 – Belleville Althoff vs. Effingham, 6 p.m.

Match 2 – Belleville Althoff vs. McCracken Co.

Match 3 – Normal University vs. Centennial, 8;10 p.m.

Match 4 – Normal University vs. Teutopolis, 9:20 p.m.

At Effingham High School, No. 2

Match 1 – Festus St. Pius X vs. Massac County, 6 p.m.

Match 2 – Moline vs. Massac County, 7 p.m.

Match 3 – Festus St. Pius X vs. Moline, 8:10 p.m.

Match 4 – Wheaton St. Francis vs. St. Louis Ursuline, 9:20 p.m.

At Effingham High  School, No. 3

Match 1 – St. Louis Ursuline vs. Breese Central, 6 p.m.

Match 2 – Wheaton St. Francis vs. Breese Central, 7 p.m.

Match 3 – Glenbard West vs. Indianapolis Chatard, 8:10 p.m.

Match 4 – Glenbard West vs. Windsor/Stewardson-Strasburg, 9:20 p.m.

At Effingham High School, No. 4

Match 1 – Indianapolis Chatard vs. Windsor/Stewardson-Strasburg, 6 p.m.

Match 2 – St. Louis Visitation vs. Illiana Christian, 7 p.m.

Match 3 – Lexington Henry Clay vs. St. Louis Visitation, 8:10 p.m.

Match 4 – Lexington Henry Clay vs. Illiana Christian, 9:20 p.m.

At Sacred Heart School

Match 1 – Centennial vs. Teutopolis, 6 p.m.

Match 2 – Edwardsville vs. Bloomington, 7 p.m.

Match 3 – Bloomington vs. Owensboro Catholic, 8:10 p.m.

Match 4 – Edwardsville vs. Owensboro Catholic, 9:20 p.m.

At Effingham Junior High School

Match 1 – Hermann vs. Daviess County, 6 p.m.

Match 2 – Naperville Central vs. Daviess County, 7 p.m.

Match 3 – Naperville Central vs. Hermann, 8:10 p.m.

Match 4 – McCracken County vs. Effingham, 9:20 p.m.

Saturday's Matches

Gold Flight

Match 1 – Pool A Winner vs. Pool H Winner, 9:40 a.m. (EHS 4)

Match 2 – Pool D Winner vs. Pool E Winner, 9:40 a.m. (EHS 1)

Match 3 – Pool B Winner vs. Pool G Winner, 9:40 a.m. (EHS 2)

Match 4 – Pool C Winner vs. Pool F Winner, 9:40 a.m. (EHS 3)

Match 5 – Loser Match 1 vs. Loser Match 2, noon (EHS 4)

Match 6 – Loser Match 3 vs. Loser Match 4, noon (EHS 2)

Match 7 – Winner Match 1 vs. Winner Match 2, 1:10 p.m. (EHS 4)

Match 8 – Winner Match 3 vs. Winner Match 4, 1:10 p.m. (EHS 2)

Match 9 – Loser Match 7 vs. Loser Match 8, 2:20 p.m. (EHS 4, third place)

Match 10 –  Loser Match 5 vs. Loser Match 6, 3:30 p.m. (EHS 1, seventh place)

Match 11 – Winner Match 5 vs. Winner Match 6, 3:30 p.m. (EHS 2, fifth place)

Match 12 – Winner Match 7 vs. Winner Match 8, 3:30 p.m. (EHS 4, championship)

Silver Flight

Match 1 – Pool A Winner vs. Pool H Winner, 8:30 a.m. (EHS 4)

Match 2 – Pool D Winner vs. Pool E Winner, 8:30 a.m. (EHS 1)

Match 3 – Pool B Winner vs. Pool G Winner, 8:30 a.m. (EHS 2)

Match 4 – Pool C Winner vs. Pool F Winner, 8:30 a.m. (EHS 3)

Match 5 – Winner Match 1 vs. Winner Match 2, 10:30 a.m. (EHS 4)

Match 6 – Winner Match 3 vs. Winner Match 4, 10:30 a.m. (EHS 2)

Match 7 – Loser Match 1 vs. Loser Match 2, 10:50 a.m. (EHS 1)

Match 8 – Loser Match 3 vs. Loser Match 4, 10:50 a.m. (EHS 3)

Match 9 – Winner  Match 7 vs. Winner Match 8, 1:10 p.m. (EHS 3, fifth place)

Match 10 – Loser Match 7 vs. Loser Match 8, 1:10 p.m. (EHS 1, seventh place)

Match 11 – Loser Match 5 vs. Loser Match 6, 2:20 p.m. (EHS 1, third place)

Match 12 – Winner Match 5 vs. Winner Match 6, 2:20 p.m. (EHS 2, fifth place)

Bronze Flight

Match 1 – Pool A Winner vs. Pool H Winner, 8:30 a.m. (SHS 1)

Match 2 – Pool D Winner vs. Pool E Winner, 8:30 a.m. (EJHS)

Match 3 – Pool B Winner vs. Pool G Winner, 9:40 a.m. (SHS)

Match 4 – Pool C Winner vs. Pool F Winner, 9:40 a.m. (EJHS)

Match 5 – Loser Match 1 vs. Loser Match 2, 10:50 a.m. (EJHS)

Match 6 – Loser Match 3 vs. Loser Match 4, noon (EJHS)

Match 7 – Winner Match 1 vs. Winner Match 2, noon (EHS 1)

Match 8 – Winner Match 3 vs. Winner Match 4, noon (EHS 3)

Match 9 – Loser Match 5 vs. Loser Match 6, 1:10 p.m. (EJHS)

Match 10 – Winner Match 5 vs. Winner Match 6, 2:20 p.m. (EJHS, fifth place)

Match 11 – Loser Match 7 vs. Loser Match 8, 2:20 p.m. (EHS 3, third place)

Match 12 – Winner Match 5 vs. Winner Match 6, 3:30 p.m. (EHS 3, championship)