Home or away?

Morton College knew it was on the fence whether the Panthers would be hosting a first-round game in the Region IV women's volleyball playoffs that get underway Wednesday.

Kankakee edged out the Panthers for the eighth seed, meaning No. 9 Morton College travels down I-57 to face the Kougars for a third time this season at 6 p.m. 

Morton College (14-15) has been at its best and worst in the two previous meeting against Kankakee this season. When the Panthers lost 3-0 (25-11, 25-23, 25-22) on September 17th, Morton College was in the midst of an eight-game slide.

But when Morton College won 3-2 (25-22, 19-25, 18-25, 25-22, 15-6) on October 5th, it was the Panthers' season-best eighth straight win with Lilly Margiljaj (16 kills, 11 digs), Julixa Cintron (31 assists, 20 digs), Ally Wenzel (41 digs), Luana Gigante (7 kills), Zoe Klaus (6 kills), Mila Cardenas (4 aces) and Sierra Mulder (4 aces) leading the way.

Morton College has won 12 of its last 15 matches. The Panthers feature a balanced attack as four players have over 100 kills – Margiljaj (199), Luana Gigante (187), Klaus (126) and Biljana Milosevic (107). Jovana Perovic's 99 kills is one away from the century mark.

Seven players, led by Klaus' 51 service aces, have 20 more or aces in Cardenas (36), Mulder (33), Margiljaj (32), Wenzel (29), Cintron (25) and Gigante (21). 

The winner advances to the District A semifinals in Madison at 11 a.m. Saturday where top-seeded Sauk Valley more than likely awaits. The District A finals are at noon the next day with the winner punching their ticket to the NJCAA Division II nationals in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Fourth-seeded McHenry also is in District A, while two-seed Madison and three-seed Moraine Valley are the favorites to reach the District B finals.

Milosevic, a sophomore middle hitter, was the only non-McHenry/Moraine Valley player on the all-Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference First Team. Milosevic, tops in Region IV at 1.32 blocks per set, hit .350 and had 41 blocks in Skyway action, She posted 13 blocks (5 solo, 8 assist) against McHenry and 14 against Waubonsee (6 solo, 8 assists). 

Cintron, a freshman setter, and Margiljaj, a sophomore outside hitter, were all-Skyway Second Team selections. 

Cintron had 162 assists in Skyway play with 30-plus matches against Waubonsee (35), Lake County (38) and Oakton (31). 

Margiljaj put up 53 kills, 15 total blocks and hit .221 in Skyway circuit. Season-best 16 kills against Lake County. She also had strong matches with 10 kills vs. Oakton, 8 vs. Prairie State and 7 vs. Moraine Valley.