Sparkling effort from Wauconda
Wauconda’s girls volleyball team has its star back, and the Bulldogs are shining.
Wauconda won its own five-team invitational Saturday, going 5-0 to improve to 12-5. The Bulldogs captured wins over Round Lake (25-17, 25-21), North Chicago (25-9, 25-12), Grayslake Central (25-19, 25-17), Marengo (25-18, 25-19) and Lake Forest Academy (25-19, 25-21).
Indiana-bound setter Megan Tallman, who returned to the lineup this past week after being sidelined with a finger injury, and Susan Karhoff earned spots on the all-tournament team. Tallman dished out 15 of her 35 assists against LFA, while Karhoff slammed 14 of her 35 kills against Grayslake Central.
Tallman added 32 kills. Ashley Anderson led Wauconda with 54 digs. She and Jordan Draegert had 19 and 18, respectively, against Grayslake Central. Emily Holub served a team-best 8 aces, while Sara Sexton (5 solo blocks, 2 assisted blocks) was a force at the net. Karhoff lofted 21 assists, as well.
“The team played well today, and I felt like everyone was on the same page,” first-year Wauconda coach Alison Williams said. “As a team, we were playing smarter and working together, and it really showed in our match versus Grayslake Central. I am very proud of the girls for stepping up and coming together to go 5-0 on the day.”
Grayslake Central went 4-1 and placed Alex Dahlstrom and Gabi Casper on the all-tourney team. The Rams claimed victories over LFA (25-16, 25-22), Marengo (25-16, 25-9), North Chicago (25-5, 25-10) and Round Lake (25-13, 25-23).
Round Lake, which picked up a win over North Chicago, was represented by Isamar Rodriguez on the all-tournament squad.
Wheaton Classic: Libertyville finished 4-1, outlasting Naperville Central 25-18, 20-25, 25-22 for fifth place.
In the gold bracket quarterfinals, Libertyville lost a marathon match with Hinsdale South 29-31, 25-20, 25-2.
Cindy Zhou led Libertyville (10-3), as the Michigan-bound senior dished out 64 assists on 167 attempts with 5 aces and 20 digs. The Wildcats also got big contributions from Kristen Webb (70 digs, 5 kills, 4 aces), Taylor Zant (28 kills, 6 blocks), Rhiannon Prentiss (15 kills, 25 digs), Julia Smagacz (20 kills, 5 blocks) and Alex Basler (14 kills, 7 blocks).
“We were happy with our play overall, but we certainly would have loved a shot at Marist with a win in the quarters,” said Libertyville coach Greg Loika, who seeks his 100th career win Wednesday against Stevenson. “We just didn’t put the ball away with the frequency we needed to against Hinsdale South. The team responded well, however, to claim fifth against a very big Naperville Central team.”
Hersey invite: Mundelein went 2-3 to bring its season record to 6-12. Yasmeen Johnson had 16 kills, 8 aces and 5 blocks for the Mustangs, whose wins were over Hoffman Estates and Elgin. Courtney Perreault’s tourney included 13 kills and 6 aces. Emily East set 195 of 203 with 48 assists.