Huntley still undefeated

It dropped. It curved. It knuckled.

Samantha Boesch’s serve simply baffled Crystal Lake South all night long.

Serving 5 aces to go along with 10 kills, Boesch keyed Huntley’s 25-16, 25-15 win over Crystal Lake South in Fox Valley Conference Valley Division play at South’s Gator Alley Thursday night.

“I have really struggled with my serving all season, but I have really worked hard on my serve in practice,” said Boesch. “I felt like I had control on my serve and was able to serve to my spots. I was serving aggressively which I haven’t done this season.”

Huntley coach Michelle Jakubowski was impressed with Boesch’s serve.

“Until this week, Samantha had not served well, “said the Huntley coach. “But the last two matches against Prairie Ridge and Crystal Lake South Samantha has been outstanding. She is serving aggressively and to her spots with movement. All her hard work in practice is starting to pay off.”

In Game 1, with the Gators (4-5) holding a 10-9 lead after an ace by Nicole Slimko, Boesch went to work. The senior outside hitter served 4 straight aces to give the Red Raiders (9-0, 2-0) a little breathing room and a 13-10 advantage.

Huntley extended its lead to 23-13 after an ace by Aryana Burgos. Huntley took a 1-0 lead in the match on a game-ending kill by Boesch.

Like the first game, the Gators stayed within striking distance of Huntley in Game 2. A kill by Crystal Lake South freshman Carly Nolan tied the game at 10. The Gators could never get the lead in the game as the Red Raiders reeled off 6 straight points, capped by a kill from Jaina Jackson to take a 16-10 lead. Jackson’s kill gave the Red Raiders the game and match.

Nolan and Nicole Jurkash paced the Gators with 3 kills each while Slimko served 3 aces.

“We had good effort most of the match but against a great team like Huntley you need high effort the whole match,” said South coach Jorie Fontanna. “We had some lulls and that killed us.”

Ashley Smith added 4 kills, Eli Manning had 22 assists and Amy Dion collected 8 digs for the winners.

“It was a solid effort,” said Jakubowski. “We played with skill, passion and want tonight. That is tough to beat. We are getting better every match.”