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Another sectional title for Cary-Grove

There was a noticeably different feel to Cary-Grove's second Class 4A girls volleyball sectional title, which the Trojans secured with a 25-10, 25-18 victory over Hononegah at Jacobs Thursday.

Last year the Trojans were navigating unchartered waters when they picked up their first sectional championship. Winning that title was a completely new experience and brought the team a new level of confidence.

This year the Trojans (39-0) are the sharks in the postseason water. Ranked No. 1 in the nation, the defending Class 4A state champions have methodically dispatched one opponent after another in extending their 13-month winning streak to 55 straight matches.

“Last year we'd never won a sectional so it was something different,” senior Kelly Lamberti said. “But we were still pumped up for this. We were ready for it.”

The victory advances Cary-Grove to Saturday's 3 p.m. Barrington supersectional against Stevenson (31-8), which defeated Lake Zurich, 25-23, 25-14, to win the Warren sectional. Cary-Grove defeated Stevenson twice at the Schaumburg Invite on Oct. 9: 25-8, 25-18 in pool play; and 25-17, 25-18 for the championship.

Hononegah (24-11), co-champion of the NIC-10 Conference, had no answer for Cary-Grove's aggressive serving. Setter Colleen Smith stepped to the service line with a 1-0 lead and served 5 straight points, including an ace, to put the Trojans ahead 6-0.

“We just had to come in really focused like we did against DeKalb and be fired up because everyone's out to get us,” Smith said. “We just had to play our game, stay focused and take one point at a time.”

Aggressive serving, a hallmark of Cary-Grove's success, continued throughout the match and kept the Indians from gaining any consistency offensively.

“I think you'd be hard pressed to find another team in the nation that serves as well as they do,” Hononegah coach Rodney Pritchett said. “They get you out of system as well as anyone. We really had a hard time getting all three attackers involved. Our ball control's been really good all year, but they're that good at serving the ball.”

With her team leading 19-4 in Game 1, Cary-Grove coach Patty Langanis began substituting liberally. The Trojans jumped to a 5-1 lead in the second game and more substitutes entered. Hononegah showed glimpses of its regular-season form, but little went right against Cary-Grove.

The victory represented delayed payback for the Trojans. Hononegah defeated Cary-Grove in a sectional semifinal in 2007.

“Hononegah didn't give up or roll over,” Langanis said. “They fought all the way through Game 2. They kept us on our toes. We tried to get our subs in and they did a nice job. We wanted to make sure more people got playing time. We're really proud to win a sectional title.”

  Cary-Grove celebrates a point against Hononegah Thursday in the Class 4A sectional championship in Algonquin. John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
  Cary-Grove’s Melanie Jereb blocks against Hononegah Thursday in the Class 4A sectional championship in Algonquin. John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
  Cary-Grove’s Ashley Rosch hits against Hononegah’s Alivia Holman Thursday in the Class 4A sectional championship in Algonquin. John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
  Cary-Grove’s Ashley Rosch and Kelly Lamberti block a Hononegah shot Thursday in the Class 4A sectional championship in Algonquin. John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
  Cary-Grove’s Mallory Wilczynski blocks against Hononegah Thursday in the Class 4A sectional championship in Algonquin. John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
  Cary-Grove’s Allison Whimpey blocks against Hononegah Thursday in the Class 4A sectional championship in Algonquin. John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
  Cary-Grove’s Nicole Schuh plays the back row against Hononegah Thursday in the Class 4A sectional championship in Algonquin. John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
  Cary-Grove’s Ashley Rosch blocks against Hononegah Thursday in the Class 4A sectional championship in Algonquin. John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
  Cary-Grove’s Sam Mainzer plays the back row against Hononegah Thursday in the Class 4A sectional championship in Algonquin. John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
  Cary-Grove’s Melanie Jereb hits over two Hononegah players Thursday in the Class 4A sectional championship in Algonquin. John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
  Cary-Grove’s Kelly Lamberti hits against Hononegah’s Victoria Quintanilla Thursday in the Class 4A sectional championship in Algonquin. John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
  Cary-Grove’s Colleen Smith jumps to block a shot by Hononegah’s Kristen Kotch Thursday in the Class 4A sectional championship in Algonquin. John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com