Dialog reporter
A battle between the top two teams in high school volleyball comes to Wilmington on Wednesday, but that is not the only intriguing matchup on the girls’ schedule this week. Both field hockey and volleyball have entered the second half of the regular season, and the games take on added postseason implications.
Field hockey
Monday
A.I. DuPont (1-7) at St. Thomas More (2-3), 4 p.m.
Tuesday
Padua (6-1) at Wilmington Charter (4-2-2), 3:45 p.m.
Ursuline (6-1) at Newark Charter (5-4), 3:45 p.m.
William Penn (3-5-1) vs. St. Elizabeth (2-4), 3:45 p.m. at Serviam Field.
St. Mark’s (2-5) vs. Conrad (5-2-2), 3:45 p.m. at Hockessin Montessori School.
Sanford (1-5-2) at Archmere (4-2-1), 4 p.m.
Wednesday
St. Thomas More vs. Design Lab, 4 p.m. at Kirkwood Soccer Club
Worcester Prep at Ss. Peter and Paul, 4 p.m.
Thursday
Newark Charter at Archmere, 3:45 p.m.
Padua at Ursuline, 3:45 p.m. There might be two divisions in high school field hockey, but that won’t dampen the excitement surrounding this matchup of these longtime rivals. The Pandas come in as the No. 2 team in Division I, while the Raiders are fourth in Division II.
Friday
St. Elizabeth at St. Mark’s, 3:45 p.m.
Volleyball
Monday
St. Elizabeth (3-6) at Caravel (7-2), 6:45 p.m.
Tuesday
St. Thomas More (5-3) at ECHS@DSU (1-5), 4 p.m. at Delaware State University Wellness Center
Archmere (6-3) at Delaware Military Academy (1-5), 7 p.m. Pink Out for Breast Cancer Awareness.
Wednesday
Aquinas at St. Thomas More, 4:30 p.m.
St. Mark’s (7-2) at Wilmington Christian (6-3), 5 p.m. The Spartans are quietly putting together a superb campaign, but they will be challenged by the Warriors, who are competing in the high-quality Independent Conference for the first time this season.
St. Elizabeth at Hodgson (1-8), 5:15 p.m.
Padua (9-0) at Tower Hill (8-0), 5:30 p.m. No. 2 visits No. 1. That should say enough. Get to Tower Hill’s cozy Weaver Gym early, as parking and seating are at a premium. The Pandas have had a week to rest following last Wednesday’s five-set triumph over then-No.1 Ursuline; the Hillers come in with six days’ rest. The focus in this match will be on the bigs, with the Pandas featuring Emily Jarome and Jess Molen, and the Hillers bringing Maddie Sachs and Alex Thomson. But both squads are filled with talent. Tower Hill has yet to lose a set this season, but Padua surely remembers when the Hillers visited Broom Street last year and went home with the five-set upset. Expect another long match.
Paul VI (N.J.) at Ursuline (7-1), 6:30 p.m.
Thursday
Friends at Archmere, 6:15 p.m.
Friday
Newark Charter at Ursuline, 6:30 p.m.
Wilmington Charter at St. Mark’s, 7:15 p.m. This should be a tight match, with big hitting taking center stage. The Force, who entered the week at No. 4 in the 302Sports.com rankings, have Maddie Matheny and Erin Michalcewiz bringing the heat, while Jenna Mayhew anchors the defense. Volleyball fans know about the fifth-ranked Spartans duo of Erin Derick and Savannah Seemans, but the team is much deeper than that pair. Three sets likely will not be enough to decide this one.
Saturday
Padua at Notre Dame (Pa.), 2:30 p.m.
Soccer
Tuesday
Worcester Prep at Ss. Peter and Paul, 4 p.m.
Saturday
Ss. Peter and Paul at Annapolis Area Christian, 11 a.m.
