BUCKLEY — The girls varsity volleyball team went 5-0 at Saturday's Crusader Invitational to win the tournament championship and set a school record for most victories in a season.

Uni sealed the title with a hard-fought 24-26, 25-21, 16-14 win over host Buckley Christ Lutheran in the final match of the day. The Crusaders placed second in the four-team tourney, with Judah Christian third and Cornerstone Christian fourth.

The Illineks are now 18-9. The previous record for wins was set by last year's 15-14-1 squad.

“It’s amazing," Uni head coach Amanda Palla said. "Three years ago the record for wins was 10."

Junior middle hitter Rachel Skoza won tournament MVP honors. She finished the day with 33 kills and nine blocks, team highs in both categories. Skoza also had three aces.

"She played really well today," Palla said. "She was big. I think she had five blocks in that last match, which is huge."

Sophomore Michelle Wong earned a spot on the all-tournament team. She led the Illineks with 16 aces and was second with 20 assists. Her 24 digs ranked third on the team.

"Michelle played three different positions," Palla said. "She started out in [senior] Ruthie Welch's position while Ruthie was gone and played setter for two games. She then played for back row for [junior] Annie Machesky one match. She also played back row for [senior] Sarah Pfander. So she was all over the court. She did a really nice job."

It was a long day for the Illineks. They played their first match at 8 a.m. and didn't finish their championship round until almost 6 p.m.

Uni defeated Buckley Christ Lutheran in the opening match 25-22, 25-24.

Two hours later the Illineks took on Cornerstone Christian, winning 25-17, 25-11 to tie the school record for victories.

At noon the girls began their record-setting match, defeating Judah Christian 25-23, 25-9 for their 16th win of the season.

Their 17th win came about two hours later with a 25-15, 25-9 victory over Cornerstone.

The championship match between Uni and BCL featured spirited play by both teams.

"I knew coming into the match that BCL would be our toughest challenge of the day," Palla said. "We played them this morning at 8 o’clock and beat them in two — just barely, though. They have the ability to play up. It’s their home court and their tournament, so they want to win."

If there were any doubts as to whether the MVP title belonged to Skoza, she erased them in that match. Her nine kills and five blocks were crucial to Uni's razor-thin victory.

On the day, all of Uni's varsity players finished with solid numbers. Despite missing the first two matches, Welch had a team-high 30 assists (which brings her school career record to 821), 16 digs, nine aces, and three kills. Machesky was second on the team in digs (31) and aces (10). She added two kills. Pfander had 11 kills, 15 digs, and four aces.

Senior middle hitter Karen Woodley had 27 kills, five digs, and five aces. Senior outside hitter/middle hitter Chelsea Freeland contributed 13 kills and eight digs.

Leading the team in digs with 34 was senior libero Jamie Weiser, who added seven aces. Senior Claire Johnson had nine kills, eight assists, one block, five digs, and seven aces. Junior setter Sheri Grill contributed 18 assists and six digs.

Uni has three regular-season matches left before the postseason begins on Oct. 23 with a first-round Class 2A playoff game against Clinton. The Illineks will travel to DeLand-Weldon on Tuesday, then they will host Decatur Lutheran on Oct. 16 and Judah Christian on Oct. 19.

The team has already defeated DeLand-Weldon once this season and Judah Christian twice, which means the Illineks could go into the playoffs with 20 wins.

"To have the possibility of getting a 20-win season — that’s pretty amazing," said Palla.

The Uni coach was a senior on the 1996 team whose 10 wins held the school record until 2005, when Palla arrived for her first season as Uni varsity coach. That team won 14 matches, followed by last year's 15, and now this year's 18 (and counting).

"I kind of put that seed in their heads this morning," Palla recalled. "I said, ‘Ladies, if you do well today, you have the possibility for 20 wins.’ They were like, ‘What?’ So they were very excited. If we finish and beat the teams we should beat, I think we can expect 20 wins this year.”

MORE PHOTOS: UNI AT CRUSADER INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENT

Junior middle hitter Rachel Skoza had 33 kills in five matches en route to being named the tournament's MVP. Gargoyle photo (click to enlarge)

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Junior outside hitter Annie Machesky prepares to serve. She scored 10
points on aces during the tourney. Gargoyle photo (click to enlarge)

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Senior Chelsea Freeland finished the day with 13 kills and eight digs. Gargoyle photo (click to enlarge)

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Senior Claire Johnson had seven aces in the tournament along with
nine kills, eight assists, five digs, and one block. Gargoyle photo (click
to enlarge)

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Coach Amanda Palla talks to her team during the championship match against Buckley Christ Lutheran. Her teams have set a school record for wins in each of her three seasons as head coach. Gargoyle photo (click to enlarge)

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Senior outside hitter Sarah Pfander had 11 kills, 15 digs, and four aces on Saturday. Gargoyle photo (click to enlarge)

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Junior Sheri Grill sets up her teammates. Gargoyle photo (click
to enlarge)

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Sheri Grill had 18 assists and six digs during the tournament.
Gargoyle photo (click to enlarge)

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Senior middle hitter Karen Woodley finished with 27 kills, five digs, and five aces on the day. Gargoyle photo (click to enlarge)

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Ruthie Welch serves. Despite missing the first two matches, she had
nine aces, 16 digs, three kills, and a team-high 30 assists. She now
has a Uni career record 821 assists. Gargoyle photo (click to enlarge)

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Besides her team-high 33 kills, MVP Rachel Skoza added a team-high nine
blocks. She also scored on three aces. Gargoyle photo (click to enlarge)

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The team celebrates a point during the championship match. Gargoyle photo (click to enlarge)

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Senior libero Jamie Weiser led the team with 34 digs and added seven
aces. Gargoyle photo (click to enlarge)

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Sophomore Michelle Wong was named to the all-tournament team.
She played three positions, accumulating 20 assists, 24 digs, and a
team-high 16 aces. Gargoyle photo (click to enlarge)

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Karen Woodley (15) is ready as Sheri Grill keeps the ball in play. Gargoyle photo (click to enlarge)

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The Illineks look over their new trophy. Gargoyle photo (click to enlarge)

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The girls celebrate their championship. With their five wins, the team
raised its season mark to 18-9, breaking the school record of 15 wins
set last year. Gargoyle photo (click to enlarge)

THE SEASON SO FAR

2007 GIRLS VOLLEYBALL VARSITY RECORD: 18-9 overall, 7-2 East Central Illinois Conference
(home matches listed in bold)

Aug. 30: at Oakwood, L 18-25, 16-25

• Story: Uni drops season opener
• Kills: Karen Woodley 2, Sarah Pfander 2
• Assists: Ruth Welch 3, Sheri Grill 2
• Blocks: Rachel Skoza 2, Chelsea Freeland 1, Woodley 1
• Digs: Jamie Weiser 2, Annie Machesky 2, Welch 2, Pfander 2
• Aces: Weiser 2, Claire Johnson 1, Freeland 1, Pfander 1
• JV match: Uni def. Oakwood in three games: 25-17, 22-25, 25-13 (JV record: 1-0)

Sept. 1: at DeLand-Weldon Eagle Classic, 2 wins, 3 losses (4th place in 8-team tournament)

• Story: Illineks take fourth place at Eagle Classic tourney
• Match 1: vs. Atwood-Hammond, W 25-21, 25-20
• Match 2: vs. Kincaid South Fork, W 25-14, 25-19
• Match 3: vs. Morrisonville, L 11-25, 17-25
• Match 4: vs. Bement, L 23-25, 16-25
• Match 5: vs. Morrisonville, L 21-25, 23-25
• Kills (Uni leaders for tournament): Rachel Skoza 23, Sarah Pfander 15, Karen Woodley 14, Ruth Welch 13
• Assists (Uni leaders for tournament): Welch 41, Sheri Grill 16, Claire Johnson 7
• Blocks (Uni leaders for tournament): Skoza 8, Woodley 5
• Digs (Uni leaders for tournament): Jamie Weiser 27, Michelle Wong 16, Annie Machesky 13, Pfander 9, Welch 7, Chelsea Freeland 5
• Aces (Uni leaders for tournament): Machesky 8, Johnson 5, Welch 3

Sept. 4: at Buckley Christ Lutheran, W 16-25, 25-19, 25-10 *

• Story: Conference play opens with Uni win
• Kills: Rachel Skoza 7, Sarah Pfander 5, Karen Woodley 4
• Assists: Ruthie Welch 11, Sheri Grill 2
• Blocks: Skoza 3, Woodley 1
• Digs: Annie Machesky 7, Welch 5, Jamie Weiser 5
• Aces: Welch 7, Claire Johnson 3, Weiser 2

Sept. 7: at Decatur Christian, W 25-21, 25-14 *

• Story: Uni wins again in conference play
• Kills: Rachel Skoza 5, Karen Woodley 5
• Assists: Ruthie Welch 7, Claire Johnson 4, Sheri Grill 1
• Blocks: Skoza 1, Woodley 1
• Digs: Jamie Weiser 6, Annie Machesky 5, Welch 5, Sarah Pfander 3
• Aces: Johnson 6, Welch 3, Weiser 1, Pfander 1
• Junior varsity match: W 25-11, 25-16 (JV record: 2-0 overall, 1-0 ECIC)

Sept. 8: at Westville Invitational, 3 wins, 1 loss (2nd place in 5-team tournament)

• Story: Uni meets challenge, places second in tournament
• Match 1: vs. Westville, W 25-22, 20-25, 25-18
• Match 2: vs. Georgetown-Ridge Farm, L 25-13, 18-25, 21-25
• Match 3: vs. Heritage, W 25-17, 23-25, 25-21
• Match 4: vs. Salt Fork, W 25-23, 25-20
• Kills (tournament): Rachel Skoza 21, Karen Woodley 14, Chelsea Freeland 10, Claire Johnson 10, Sarah Pfander 10, Ruthie Welch 10, Annie Machesky 6, Sheri Grill 2
• Assists (tournament): Welch 40, Grill 19, Freeland 1
• Blocks (tournament): Woodley 8, Skoza 4, Pfander 1
• Digs (tournament): Jamie Weiser 45, Pfander 32, Machesky 26, Welch 20, Michelle Wong 20, Freeland 9, Grill 9, Johnson 3, Woodley 2
• Aces (tournament): Welch 9, Machesky 5, Woodley 5, Freeland 2, Pfander 2, Weiser 2, Wong 2, Johnson 1, Skoza 1

Sept. 10: at St. Thomas More, L 10-25, 16-25

• Story: Uni ready for first home match after falling to strong St. Thomas More squad
• Kills: Karen Woodley 2, Rachel Skoza 2
• Assists: Ruthie Welch 4
• Blocks: Skoza 1, Woodley 1, Sarah Pfander 1
• Digs: Jamie Weiser 4, Michelle Wong 4, Annie Machesky 2
• Aces: Welch 2, Machesky 1
• Junior varsity match: L 19-25, 13-25 (JV record: 2-1 overall, 1-0 ECIC)

Sept. 11: Normal Calvary Baptist, L 18-25, 25-13, 22-25 *

• Story: Home debut ends in close loss to Normal Calvary Baptist
• Kills: Rachel Skoza 9, Karen Woodley 6, Chelsea Freeland 5
• Assists: Ruthie Welch 17, Sheri Grill 7
• Blocks: Freeland 2, Skoza 1
• Digs: Annie Machesky 13, Michelle Wong 9, Jamie Weiser 3
• Aces: Welch 3, Woodley 2
• Junior varsity match: W 25-8, 25-15 (JV record: 3-1 overall, 2-0 ECIC)

Sept. 14: DeLand-Weldon, W 25-18, 25-15 *

• Story: Uni makes quick work of DeLand-Weldon
• Kills: Rachel Skoza 7, Karen Woodley 3, Claire Johnson 2
• Assists: Ruthie Welch 8, Sheri Grill 3
• Blocks: Skoza 3, Woodley 2, Sarah Pfander 2
• Digs: Jamie Weiser 7, Michelle Wong 4, Welch 4
• Aces: Welch 3, Machesky 2, Pfander 2
• Junior varsity match: none

Sept. 17: Fisher, L 22-25, 23-25

• Story: Illineks drop match to Bunnies
• Kills: Karen Woodley 5, Rachel Skoza 5
• Assists: Ruthie Welch 9, Sheri Grill 4
• Blocks: Chelsea Freeland 3, Skoza 2
• Digs: Sarah Pfander 10, Jamie Weiser 7
• Aces: Welch 1, Weiser 1, Michelle Wong 1
• Junior varsity match: L 9-25, 13-25 (JV record: 3-2 overall, 2-0 ECIC)

Sept. 21: at Decatur Lutheran, L 7-25, 8-25 *

• Story: Decatur Lutheran stays perfect, defeats Illineks
• Kills: several players with 1
• Assists: Ruthie Welch 3
• Blocks: Karen Woodley 1
• Digs: Jamie Weiser 10, Welch 5
• Aces: Welch 1, Sarah Pfander 1
• Junior varsity match: L 3-25, 25-22, 13-15 (JV record: 3-3 overall, 2-1 ECIC)

Sept. 25: at Judah Christian, W 25-19, 25-9 *

• Story: Illineks bounce back, sweep Judah Christian
• Kills: Rachel Skoza 6, Karen Woodley 5, Sarah Pfander 3
• Assists: Ruthie Welch 12, Sheri Grill 2, Jamie Weiser 1
• Blocks: Skoza 1, Woodley 1
• Digs: Pfander 6, Welch 6, Michelle Wong 6, Grill 5, Annie Machesky 5,
• Aces: Welch 3, Machesky 2, Weiser 2, Claire Johnson 1
• Junior varsity match: W 26-24, 20-25, 25-18 (JV record: 4-3 overall, 3-1 ECIC)

Sept. 27: Atwood-Hammond, W 25-16, 10-25, 25-23

• Story: Uni defeats Atwood-Hammond, reaches 10 wins
• Kills: Rachel Skoza 9, Karen Woodley 8
• Assists: Ruthie Welch 11, Sheri Grill 4
• Blocks: Woodley 3, Welch 3, Skoza 1
• Digs: Jamie Weiser 9, Welch 9, Annie Machesky 8, Michelle Wong 4
• Aces: Weiser 3, Woodley 2
• Junior varsity match: Uni defeats Atwood-Hammond in two games: 25-13, 25-17 (JV record: 5-3 overall, 3-1 ECIC)

Sept. 28: Buckley Christ Lutheran, W 25-16, 25-9 *

• Story: Illineks make quick work of conference foe
• Kills: Rachel Skoza 4, Karen Woodley 2
• Assists: Ruthie Welch 5, Sheri Grill 4
• Blocks: Woodley 1
• Digs: Welch 6, Annie Machesky 4, Michelle Wong 4, Jamie Weiser 4
• Aces: Welch 3, Claire Johnson 2, Wong 2
• Junior varsity match: none

Oct. 2: Decatur Christian, W 25-19, 25-21 *

• Story: Uni takes care of Decatur Christian, closes in on school record for wins
• Kills: Rachel Skoza 7, Karen Woodley 3, Ruthie Welch 2, Claire Johnson 2
• Assists: Welch 10, Sheri Grill 2
• Blocks: Skoza 2
• Digs: Welch 11, Jamie Weiser 6, Sarah Pfander 5
• Aces: Weiser 2, Annie Machesky 2
• Junior varsity match: Uni defeats Decatur Christian in three games: 25-21, 20-25, 15-11 (JV record: 6-3 overall, 4-1 ECIC)

Oct. 5: at Normal Calvary Baptist, W 16-25, 26-24, 25-15 *

• Story: Illineks win nail-biter, defeat Normal Calvary Baptist for 13th victory
• Kills: Rachel Skoza 8, Karen Woodley 5, Chelsea Freeland 4
• Assists: Ruthie Welch 10, Sheri Grill 4
• Blocks: Skoza 3, Woodley 1
• Digs: Michelle Wong 9, Jamie Weiser 8, Sarah Pfander 5
• Aces: Welch 7, Woodley 5, Weiser 3
• Junior varsity match: Uni defeats Normal Calvary Baptist in three games: 25-27, 25-23, 15-11 (JV record: 7-3 overall, 5-1 ECIC)

Oct. 6: at Buckley Christ Lutheran Crusader Invitational, 5 wins, 0 losses (1st place in 4-team tournament)

• Story: see above
• Match 1: vs. Buckley Christ Lutheran (8 a.m.), W 25-22, 25-24
• Match 2: vs. Cornerstone Christian (10 a.m.), W 25-17, 25-11
• Match 3: vs. Judah Christian (noon), W 25-23, 25-9
• Match 4: vs. Cornerstone Christian (2:15 p.m.), W 25-15, 25-9
• Match 5: vs. Buckley Christ Lutheran (5:15 p.m.), W 24-26, 25-21, 16-14
• Kills (totals for tournament): Rachel Skoza 33, Karen Woodley 27, Chelsea Freeland 13, Sarah Pfander 11, Claire Johnson 9, Ruthie Welch 3, Annie Machesky 2
• Assists (totals for tournament): Ruthie Welch 30, Michelle Wong 20, Sheri Grill 18, Johnson 8
• Blocks (totals for tournament): Skoza 9, Johnson 1
• Digs (totals for tournament): Jamie Weiser 34, Machesky 31, Wong 24, Welch 16, Pfander 15, Freeland 8, Grill 6, Woodley 5, Johnson 5
• Aces (totals for tournament): Wong 16, Machesky 10, Welch 9, Weiser 7, Johnson 7, Woodley 5, Pfander 4, Skoza 3

* East Central Illinois Conference match

Next match: DeLand-Weldon, Oct. 9, DeLand-Weldon High School (directions); varsity-only match to begin at 6 p.m.