Plainfield North participants get glimpse into crystal ball

The “Best of the West” volleyball tournament hosted by Plainfield North on Thursday and Saturday, August 30 and September 1, featured the unusual championship bracket format of delaying the third-place match to play the title match immediately following the conclusion of the second semifinal.

So moments after Naperville North defeated Rosary 25-23, 25-20 in the second semifinal, the Huskies were back on the court to face the host Tigers, who had beaten St. Charles North 15-25, 25-18, 25-19 in the first semifinal an hour earlier.

The structure mimicked the Illinois High School Association’s new tournament format in which the regional and sectional championships will be played on the same evening. Ostensibly, the IHSA’s move was made to reduce travel.

Although few people agree with the IHSA’s decision and many hope the organization will rethink the move, the Plainfield North folks at least had the foresight to give tournament participants a little taste of what’s to come.

The Plainfield North folks want to make the “Best of the West” tournament one of the premier events of the volleyball season. They are certainly headed in the right direction.