Volleyball Game Preview: Elgin/Pope John Wolfpack vs. St. Mary's Cardinals

The Elgin/Pope John Wolfpack will take on the St. Mary's Cardinals at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.

On Tuesday, Elgin/Pope John made easy work of North Central and carried off a 3-0 victory. The win continues a trend for the Wolfpack in their matchups with the Knights: they've now won four in a row.

Gentry Zwingman

Digs

10/21/25 vs North Central	21
10/20/25 vs Niobrara/Verdigre	16
10/16/25 @ Laurel-Concord-Coleridge	15
10/11/25 vs Central Valley	15

Elgin/Pope John found their leader in freshman Gentry Zwingman, who had 21 digs and two aces. Zwingman is on a roll when it comes to digs, as she's now had 15 or more in each of the last four games she's played.

Meanwhile, St. Mary's got the win against Ainsworth on Tuesday by a conclusive 3-0.

Elgin/Pope John better keep an eye on Bethany Leisy. She was instrumental in St. Mary's win, getting 12 digs and one assist.

Elgin/Pope John's victory bumped their record up to 18-10. As for St. Mary's, their win bumped their record up to 22-6.

Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Friday's match: Elgin/Pope John hasn't let much over the net this season, having averaged 5 blocks per game. It's a different story for St. Mary's, though, as they've been averaging only 0.5 blocks. Given Elgin/Pope John's sizable advantage in that area, the Cardinals will need to find a way to close that gap.

Elgin/Pope John beat St. Mary's 2-0 when the teams last played on October 7th. Do the Wolfpack have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Cardinals turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.