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Sports Editor Matt Daniels with a look at what's going on around the area:
Three reasons we love sports today
➜ 1. Perhaps we take it for granted around these parts, but Parkland volleyball is having another superb season. The Cobras are now at 21-1 after winning the Heartland Invitational this past weekend with sweeps against Sauk Valley, John A. Logan, Rock Valley and Danville Area. It's the 39th straight season Parkland has won at least 20 matches.
➜ 2. Parkland gets a rematch with DACC at 6 p.m. Wednesday in Champaign before hosting four matches in the Parkland Fall Challenge on Friday and Saturday. The Cobras play Des Moines Area at 11 a.m. Friday and Kirkwood (Iowa) at 1 p.m. Friday before closing out the upcoming weekend with two matches on Saturday against Hawkeye (Iowa) at 9 a.m. and Lake Michigan at 11 a.m.
➜ 3. Happy birthday to my older sister, Michelle Peterson. Thanks for always making our games of HORSE in the driveway competitive, watching sports together and never saying no to a game of catch.
Numbers game: 6
wins this season by Colorado Rockies right-hander and Champaign native Tanner Gordon, the most by any Rockies pitcher. Gordon picked up his sixth victory this past Friday night during a 4-2 Rockies road win against the Padres. The Champaign Central graduate threw six innings and only allowed one run on two hits, striking out nine and retiring 16 straight hitters at one point. Gordon has a 6-6 record with a 6.14 earned run average before he starts again on Thursday afternoon against 2022 NL Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara and the Marlins at Coors Field in Denver.
Crowd control
Three events I'm paying attention to
➜ 1. Danville at Centennial boys' soccer. A Big 12 Conference clash kicks off in Champaign at 6 p.m. Tuesday in what should be a competitive match between the visiting Vikings (4-3-3) and the host Chargers (5-6).
➜ 2. Maroa-Forsyth at Unity volleyball. The host Rockets (8-4) get a quality nonconference test at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Rocket Center in Tolono. Maroa-Forsyth (10-6) is fresh off winning the Clinton Classic title this past Saturday.
➜ 3. Champaign Central at Urbana girls' swimming. Both teams tune up for Saturday's Charger Invite at Unit 4 Pool with this Big 12 Conference dual meet that begins at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Ask an athlete
Three questions with Tuscola senior Lilly Kurtz, who plays volleyball and does cheerleading with the Warriors:
➜ 1. Three athletes I'd like to have dinner with are ... Ilona Maher, Caitlin Clark and Suni Lee.
➜ 2. The TV show I most like to binge-watch is ... "Grey's Anatomy."
➜ 3. My biggest pet peeve is ... people who have their phones on full volume in public.