The following previews provide a brief glimpse into the four quarterfinal matchups that take place on Thursday, May 20. Again, no predictions can be found here.

Quarterfinal #1: Fenwick (26-6) vs Homewood-Flossmoor (26-6)

Game Time: 4:30pm; Friday, May 21

Coaches: Fenwick-Jack Wagner (15th year) / H-F-Pat Duignan (8th year)

How They Got Here: Fenwick beat York 15-5 at the York Sectional. H-F beat LWC 7-4 at the LWC Sectional.

Previous 2010 Meetings: Fenwick leads series 1-0. Fenwick beat H-F 8-6 on 4/9 at the Fenwick Tournament.

Current Rankings: Fenwick - #2 / H-F - #5

Top Performers: Fenwick (Stephanie Ovalle - 115 goals) / St Ignatius (Rebecca Mathews - 96 goals, Michelle Mayer - 88 goals)

The Goalies: Fenwick (Mary Bridget Barrett) / H-F (Sophie Schloen)

The X-Factor: Will the Vikings' defense be able to limit the Friars on the offensive end like they did in the earlier meeting between the two teams at the Fenwick Tournament? That will be the key as to whether H-F can prevent Fenwick from getting one step closer to defending their state title.

Other Players to Watch: 

Fenwick (Annie Collins, Emma McKernin, Gena Wendt, Maggie Carey, Mary Devereux, Maureen Barron)

H-F (Anna Tenny, Hannah Ongman, Maya Holst, Tess Adamonis)

Quarterfinal #2: St Ignatius (26-4) vs Fremd (30-1)

Game Time: 5:45pm; Friday, May 21

Coaches: St Ignatius-Mike Cashman (5th year) / Fremd-Brian Newby (9th year)

How They Got Here: St Ignatius beat Young 13-5 at the UIC Sectional. Fremd beat Barrington 12-3 at the Barrington Sectional.

Previous 2010 Meetings: None.

Current Rankings: St Ignatius - #3 / Fremd - #4

Top Performers: St Ignatius (Celeste Almarez - 95 goals) / Fremd (Erika Lauraitis - 183 goals)

The Goalies: St Ignatius (Sarah Fleming) / Fremd (Julie Conrath)

The X-Factor: The teams did not meet in 2010, but the Vikings showed they could beat a team the Wolfpack are all too familiar with when they earned a 13-5 win over Mother McAuley. The key for St Ignatius is to stop Erika Lauraitis on the offensive end; if not, Fremd could very easily have a chance to improve on last season's third-place finish.

Other Players to Watch: 

St Ignatius (Hannah Cronin, Kate Stelnicki, Liz Sweeney, Rebecca Insalaco, Stephanie Fernandez, Yvette Leon)

Fremd (Emily Orlowski, Kristina D'Andrea, Megan Kennedy, Samantha DelPrado, Sam Matuszewski, Taylor Spoonholtz)

Quarterfinal #3: Lyons (32-0) vs New Trier (24-9)

Game Time: 7:00pm; Friday, May 21

Coaches: Lyons-Lynn Castro (1st year) / New Trier-Matt Wendt (1st year)

How They Got Here: Lyons beat McAuley 12-5 at the LT Sectional. New Trier beat Loyola 11-10 at the GBS Sectional.

Previous 2010 Meetings: Both teams played in the Fenwick and St Ignatius Tournaments but never met in 2010.

Current Rankings: Lyons - #1 / New Trier - #9

Top Performers: Lyons (Katelyn Jacobs - 73 goals, Kirby Kaptur and Lizzy Kosin - 72 goals) / New Trier (Sophia Palmer)

The Goalies: Lyons (Grace Trilla) / New Trier (Zara Wysockey)

The X-Factor: The Trevians played impressive defense down the stretch in wins over Evanston and Loyola to get to state. They will need to step the defense up even more if they hope to contain undefeated Lyons in the first appearance for the Trevians at state since 2002. Meanwhile, the Lions have steamrolled their competition to get to this point, and will likely be looking to send a message in their first-round game against New Trier as they strive for a perfect season.

Other Players to Watch: 

Lyons (Adriana Hoak, Allie Grimes, Erika Ronning, Katie Calvert, Madelon Craig)

New Trier (Anna Horstkotte, Anna Stern, Erika Nothnagel, Erisa Apantaku, Caroline Hoff, Maddy Urban)

Quarterfinal #4: Naperville Central (29-4) vs Mundelein (27-6)

Game Time: 8:15pm; Friday, May 21

Coaches: NC-Jeff Plackett (8th year) / Mundelein-Drew Schneider (13th year)

How They Got Here: NC beat Waubonsie 8-5 at the Neuqua Sectional. Mundelein beat Stevenson 15-3 at the VH Sectional.

Previous 2010 Meetings: NC leads series 1-0. NC edged Mundelein 7-5 on 3/20 at the NC Tournament.

Current Rankings: NC - #7 / Mundelein - #8

Top Performers: NC (Abbey Kerth - 86 goals) / Mundelein (Alexis Jones - 140 goals, Evelyn Kurzac - 93 goals)

The Goalies: NC (Julia Campbell) / Mundelein (Emily Tylka)

The X-Factor: A lot has changed since the Redhawks earned a narrow 7-5 win over the Mustangs back in March. Central seems to have righted their ship after a couple of tough losses down the stretch of the season, while Mundelein's impressive win over their rivals Stevenson last weekend gives them plenty of momentum as they return to state for the first time since 2003. The Redhawks have the edge in experience having advanced to the title game last year, so expect a highly competitive battle in the late game on Friday night.

Other Players to Watch: 

NC (Claire Fleming, Claire Wirtz, Emily Sejna, Lauren Spaits, Lizzy Giuliani, Robyn Stanley, Tori Davis, Vanessa Lin)

Mundelein (Amy Klink, Ariana Rossi, Dani Caldwell, Jacqui Lodor, Sarah Honda)