Memorable day for Schaumburg
On a day when Schaumburg girls volleyball coach Jeanette Pancratz said she became a ‘true senior,' the Saxons seniors were also honored before their match with visiting Fremd.
Then those seniors went out and won a huge conference match for the first-day grandmother as Schaumburg pulled off a 25-8, 25-22 victory, leaving it one win away from a Mid-Suburban West championship.
The Saxons (15-6, 8-1) need to defeat Hoffman Estates next Thursday to claim the West crown. They own a one-match lead over Barrington (11-12, 7-2).
Senior Ashley Norris helped get the Saxons rolling on their big night by serving 7 straight points for a 13-3 lead in Game 1.
“I was just looking to get the ball over, possibly short if I could because they were playing back on defense, said Norris, who handed out 9 assists. “We are hoping to win a conference title and we are working hard for it.
USC-bound senior Emily Young (13 assists), one of the six senior players honored along with two senior managers, and classmate Sara Travis led the Saxons with 6 kills each while sophomore Kelly Koutnik added 5.
“It was such an excellent night, Young said. “All the girls gave a great effort, and it's such a blessing to the Pancratz family.
Jeanette's son Mark, a 2001 Schaumburg graduate, and wife Brooke became the parents of daughter Charli Reese in Knoxville, Tenn., at 1:30 p.m.
“This day was so exciting, said Travis, who also was 6-of-6 serving with an ace. “We have worked so hard for this all season, and we must keep working.
After Pancratz called a timeout in Game 2 with her team up 24-22, Travis put down the match-winning kill on a long set from Young.
Senior Rebecca Thompson (team-high 10 digs) and Bria Hailey (2 aces) each added 2 kills for the winners while senior Sadie Murphy (8-of-9) and junior Alyssa Saklak (3-of-3) each served aces.
Senior Natasha Senecal was 12-of-14 serve receiving with 7 digs.
“These kids were awesome, said Pancratz, who has won more than 680 matches and will try to guide the Saxons to their second MSL title match in four years. “Player to player, I couldn't ask for a team more connected, focused and energized than these girls. I can't be more proud of the way they work.
Claire Brady (5 kills), Alex Messner (4) and Jessi Wiedemann (2) led the attack for Fremd (14-8, 5-4) while sophomore Marylin Lortz handed out 9 assists.
“With a new grandma sitting on the bench, and their Seniors Night giving them a little oomph, the karma was all in their direction, said Vikings coach Curt Pinley with a smile. “But they played very good volleyball.
“We are just in a place where we need to get better and Schaumburg kept the pressure on us and did a great job. We did some nice things in Game 2 and hopefully we can build on that in the future.
Hersey d. Wheeling: Hersey (20-3, 9-0) claimed its eighth straight MSL East title as the visiting Huskies posted a 25-15, 25-15 victory by winning their 29th straight league match at Wheeling (17-10, 7-2).Junior Kelsey Haas led the attack, going 15-of-16 with 10 kills. She was coming off an 11-kill performance against Buffalo Grove.#8220;Kelsey has been on a tear, said Hersey coach Nancy Lill, whose team will host the title game on Oct. 21. #8220;She has been playing phenomenal volleyball and Abby Fesl was great tonight, too.Fesl handed out 27 assists and made a terrific save near the scorer's table which the Huskies were able to convert into a kill. #8220;We won with some all-out hustle play, Lill said. #8220;Abby made a beautiful save. And Taylor Schill had a terrific dig, too.Christine Solans (8 kills), Alexa Stedman (4 kills) and Kristin Pedersen (3 kills) were other top hitters for Hersey.Jenni Mueller led the back row with 10 digs while Pedersen had 3 blocks.#8220;The kids played great, said Lill, who has directed Hersey to 15 MSL division titles since taking over the program in 1988.Barrington d. Hoffman Estates: Host Barrington (11-12, 7-2) remained one match out of first place in the MSL West with a 25-15, 22-25, 25-15 triumph.Annabel Perry (12 kills), Julia Thompson (11), Olivia Szuszkiewicz (7) and Madison Lang (5) led the Fillies' attack. Lang had 33 assists.Amanda Dee paced the back row with 17 digs while Meagan Combs and Joy Johnson each had 14.Emily Casalleto served 4 aces.Hoffman Estates (10-16, 2-7) was led on attack by Jada Stotts (team-high 20 digs) and Mirela Horozovic with 7 kills apiece while Mel McGinn handed out 11 assists. Kelsey Pellus added 12 digs and 5 assists.Elk Grove d. Rolling Meadows: Melanie Jarosz (8 kills), Jessica Condon (8 kills), Leah Miller (7), Diamond Boyd (7), Kristen Cetkovic (6) and Krista Soesbe (6) led a balanced attack for host Elk Grove (13-13, 4-5) as the Grenadiers posted a 24-16, 25-17, 25-18 triumph.Condon also handed out 33 assists with 3 blocks while Jessica Balzano sparked the back row with 20 digs.Meadows (5-16, 1-8) was led on attack by Emily Haeger and Morgan Keller (4 kills apiece) while Jenny Vliet handed out 11 assists. Veronica Drabowski led the Mustangs' back row with 15 digs and also had a pair of kills.