Local Sports Notebook

Brother Rice, Marist Grads Team Up to Win USA Beach National Championship

Dan Weishar and Kevin Morrison are national champions of 18U beach volleyball.

Dan Weishar and Kevin Morrison both were volleyball stars in high school, at Brother Rice and Marist, respectively. Their fame grew Monday as they partnered to win the USA Junior Beach National Championship at North Avenue Beach in Chicago. The duo, representing the Great Lakes Region, were national champions of the 18U open division, defeating the Ohio Valley team of Wesley Meyer (West Chester) and Logan Williams (Clarksville) 24-22, 21-19. Weishar and Morrison have been beach volleyball partners for the last three years. The duo finished second last year on the USA Junior Beach Tour to qualify for nationals in California. This year, Weishar and Morrison qualified for the national tournament by finishing first on tour. Weishar (Midlothian…

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Sports Video Highlight Reel: RedHawks State Run Stopped Short

Marist's dream of winning back-to-back boys volleyball state titles was shattered in a sectional semifinal setback at Sandburg.

In its quest for another run at a state title, the Marist boys volleyball team met its match against Sandburg. The RedHawks dropped a straight-sets decision (25-23, 25-16) in a sectional showdown between perennial powers. Game 1 went back-and-forth with both teams exchanging blows. The game was tied eight times and featured five lead changes. After being tied at 17-17, Sandburg rattled off four straight points and never looked back. Even though the RedHawks rallied to bring the score to 24-23, the Eagles scored the final point to escape with the win. The home-team Eagles carried momentum into the second game as they stormed out to an 8-1 lead. Despite taking timeouts to try to slow the pace, coach Bob St. Leger and the RedHawks were unable…

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Boys Volleyball: Sandburg Takes Down State Champ Marist

Eagles survive in hotly contested Game 1, then use a big push to take sectional title in straight sets.

If you're a Sandburg fan and the name of Marist coach Bob St. Leger rings a bell, it should. St. Leger is a 2000 graduate of Sandburg High School and played on two back-to-back state championship boys' volleyball teams (1999 and 2000). St. Leger brought his defending state champion Marist RedHawks into his alma mater for the Class 3A Sectional championship match on Tuesday night. But the Eagles sent him home disappointed. Sandburg swept past Marist in two straight games (25-23, 25-16). Game 1 was tied eight times, including as late as 17-17.  Then, the Eagles staged a four-point rally to build a 21-17 margin. Marist drew as close as  24-23 before Sanburg's Andrew Muys dropped down the game-winning block. In Game 2, Sandburg carried the …

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Sports Photo Gallery: Marist Takes Home Gold

RedHawk boys volleyball team defeats Glenbrook North in the championship match of the Brother Rice Smack Attack tournament.

Baby steps, big steps. The Marist boys volleyball team took a big step in its quest to repeat as state champions. The RedHawks won the Brother Rice Smack Attack, which featured many tough teams, including Sandburg and Buffalo Grove. Marist defeated Glenbrook North 25-23, 25-22 in the championship match at St. Xavier University. After taking the first game 25-23, Marist held onto a 22-20 lead in the second game. Middle blocker Jim Mead had a kill to give the RedHawks a 24-21 lead. Two points later, outside hitter Kevin Morrison scored the game-winning kill. Setter Garrett Dempsey had 23 assists for the RedHawks, while Mead had 10 kills and Morrison had seven kills. Dempsey was named the tournament MVP, while Mead made the all-tournament …

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Boys Volleyball: Marist Cruises Past Notre Dame

RedHawks use a fast start to dominate Dons in straight-sets East Suburban Catholic Conference victory.

On its road to repeat as state champions, Marist is off to a good start. Wednesday night, the RedHawks (15-3, 2-0 in the East Suburban Catholic Conference) continued their stellar play, defeating Notre Dame 25-9, 25-11. “The kids played hard, they were sharp and they got the job done early,” Marist coach Bob St. Leger said. “That’s all you could ask for.” Marist is off to a fast start in conference after defeating Nazareth Academy on Tuesday. “It’s good to get off to a good start in conference,” St. Leger said. “There’s some tough teams in our league that we’ll face.” Some good news Wednesday also came in the form of middle blocker Jim Mead playing. He had been sidelined by a knee injury. Mead chipped in four kills. Middle blocker Tony …

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Game of the Week: Defending Boys Volleyball Champ Marist Opens with Win over Providence

The Redhawks begin defense of their state championship with a hard-fought win over the host Celtics.

Marist opened its 2011 boys volleyball season with a mission of defending its state championship. The Redhawks took a first step with a victory over Providence Catholic on Tuesday night in New Lenox, but it was anything but easy. Marist won the first game 25-21, Providence took the second game 25-23, and the Redhawks captured the match with a 25-18 victory in Game 3. Senior middle blocker Jim Mead led the Redhawks with nine kills and 13 blocks. His kill late in the third game gave the Redhawks a 23-16 lead. "We've been practicing a lot," Mead said. "Me and my setter (Sean Connelly) have good chemistry together." Marist took a 7-4 lead in the first game, but the Celtics (0-1) fought back to tie the game at 20-20 before the Redhawks surged …

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