Full roster helps Viator pack up a victory at VH
It was Packing the Stands in Pink night at Vernon Hills on Thursday night.
And in support of this fundraiser for breast cancer awareness, Vernon Hills volleyball coach Abbie Gutzmer invited her next door neighbor, Charlie Curtin, to the match.
Of course this story goes deeper. Both Gutzmer and Curtin went to Hersey High School together. And now, Gutzmer is the Godmother of the Curtin’s first child. Curtin is also St. Viator’s girls volleyball head coach.
On Saturday, Vernon Hills toppled St. Viator. This time around, however, Curtin brought along two seniors who didn’t play in Saturday’s match. Both Rachel Horvath and Lauren Falotico were taking the ACT’s on that day.
The two seniors combined for 15 kills on Thursday night. That helped avenge Saturday’s loss. The Lions won 25-22, 25-21.
“We played hard but we are still making mental mistakes,’’ Curtin said. “We need to work on finishing off the competition.”
The tough left-hander in Curtin’s lineup is Horvath. She is looking to play at the next level at New York University. And she is quite pleased to be a southpaw in volleyball.
“It’s easier to get around the block,’’ Horvath said.
She is still rebounding from getting a concussion during a practice.
“I’m all better now,’’ she said. “It’s been two weeks now.”
Teammate Falotico led all hitters with 9 kills. She, too, is looking to continue her volleyball career. After all, she’s only played club volleyball since her freshman season. She wasn’t totally pleased to see Vernon Hills close the gap in both sets.
“Our team is really good,’’ Falotico said. “But we let them back in.”
With Emily Williams serving in set one, the Lions (8-8) opened up a comfortable 19-12 advantage. That lead shrunk with Jenn Claussen serving.
The Cougars (10-7) pulled within 22-19. That was as close as they would come.
“We are still looking for consistency,’’ Gutzmer said.
Set two had a familiar look to it as well. A Horvath ace helped open a 13-9 lead. An Evelina Wozniak kill gave the Lions a 21-16 advantage. Again, the Cougars didn’t shy away. Sarah Lehman served three straight points and a Shannon Nugent kill cut the lead to 23-20. Clearly adding the two seniors from St. Viator made a big difference.
“This wasn’t the same team we saw on Saturday,’’ Gutzmer said.
Setter Williams of St. Viator rang up 15 assists. Megan Mueller led St. Viator with 8 digs. Horvath had 7 digs. Nugent led a balanced Vernon Hills attack with 5 kills. Adding 4 kills each were Megan Meline, Rachel Lira and Claussen. Julie Pecht led the VH defense with 7 digs. Both Claussen and Meline had 6 digs each. Setter Lehman had 15 assists.
Neighbors Gutzmer and Curtin plan to make this a yearly event. Credit goes to Debbie Lehman, solicited donations for the fundraiser.