Cary-Grove's defense denies Geneva

Facing a Geneva lineup that features a variety of 6-foot-plus hitters, Cary-Grove's volleyball team turned defensive Thursday night.

Led by Rutgers-bound Brianne Coffey (23 digs) and Karisa Wilczynski (13 digs), along with plenty of help from their teammates, the Trojans (16-5) scored an impressive 27-25, 16-25, 25-22 nonconference victory over the Vikings (16-4) in Geneva.

"We always pride ourselves on working so hard on the floor - never letting a ball hit without 100 percent effort," said Cary-Grove coach Patty Langanis. "Bri Coffey, our libero, just gives everything she has, and Delaney Bayer and Sarah Graham.

"They're going to fight tooth and nail to keep the ball in play. I thought tonight they did a wonderful job reading (Geneva's hitters) and working hard."

After Geneva dominated Game 2 with a 16-3 kill advantage thanks to its front line of Grace Loberg (9 kills), Maddie Courter (6 kills), Ally Mullen (6 kills) and Ally Barrett (5 kills), the Trojans got back to work in the decisive third game.

Five straight service points that included an ace from Wilczynski enabled Cary-Grove to grab a 15-8 lead that stretched to 18-10 on a combination block from Abby Schebel and Allison Splitt.

"Our block was late and at times nonexistent in Game 2," said Langanis. "All we were hoping for in Game 3 was to get some touches on Geneva to slow the ball down. They're so big and powerful."

Geneva battled back to within 20-15 on a kill from Kyley Thompson (9 kills) and a Cary-Grove hitting error but still trailed 24-18 before one last comeback bid.

First, a block from Hannah Lanasa whittled the margin to 24-19 before a kill attempt from the Trojans' Schebel landed just outside the end line on another match point.

An ace from Kelsey Wicinski (16 digs) and Barrett's kill helped the Vikings close the gap to 24-22 but Schebel delivered her team-high 11th kill to seal the decision for the Trojans.

"I thought we had it a few moments earlier," admitted Langanis. "A lot of teams would have faltered at that point. There were two bad passes in a row but we came back. Abby was on fire so we decided to just give her the ball and let her finish the match."

Schebel, who received support from Splitt (5 kills) and Graham (4 kills), realized the significance of her team's road triumph.

"We've never played Geneva before so we really didn't know what to expect," said Schebel. "Geneva is an amazing team. It was one of the toughest teams we've played so far."

"Geneva just brought so many weapons," said Langanis. "Our defense saved us so many times."

Defense seems to be the name of the game for Coffey and Co.

"I think the Cary-Grove way really helps us when we play teams like this," said Coffey. "We have to make a relentless effort for the ball all the time."

"They had a great defensive effort," said Geneva coach Annie Seitelman. "Our team hasn't been dug so many times this year."

Megan Cameron (21 assists, 11 digs) and Mikayla Lanasa (11 assists) also contributed for the Vikings, who suffered their second loss in 3 days after winning 16 of their first 18 matches.

"There was a lot of fight that they demonstrated tonight that we really didn't see on Tuesday," said Seitelman. "We just had too many unforced errors. This week was a great learning opportunity for us."