Girls volleyball: Daul, Grayslake Central stand tall
Allie Daul nearly recorded a double-double in kills and blocks, as the 6-foot-2 junior led Grayslake Central's volleyball team to a 21-25, 27-25, 25-20 upset of fifth-seeded Lakes in the Class 4A Grayslake Central regional semifinals Tuesday night.
Daul's 10 kills and 9 blocks propelled No. 12 Grayslake Central (22-15) into Thursday's 6 p.m. final against No. 4 Glenbrook South.
"A total team effort against a very solid Lakes team," Rams coach Jason Janczak said. "I'm very proud of how resilient we played. The girls played great."
Taylor O'Neill and Hayley Peterson added 8 and 6 kills, respectively, for Grayslake Central. Rams setter Juliana Frusolone dished out 27 assists (87 of 87). The winners also received 29 digs from Morgan Anderberg, 11 digs and 2 aces from Peterson, and 4 kills and 9 digs from Marie Gerbasi.
Lakes (28-8) was led by McKenna Lahr's 11 kills, 13 digs and 3 aces and Megan Behrendt's 12 kills, 5 digs and 3 aces. Allie Grandos had 5 kills and 2 blocks, and Lisa Buehler recorded 11 digs for the Eagles.
Libertyville d. Lake Forest: At Warren, the top-seeded Wildcats overcame a slow start to win the Class 4A regional semifinal 25-13, 25-18 and advance to Thursday's 6 p.m. final against No. 8 New Trier.
Lake Forest was ahead 10-3 in the opening set when Libertyville called a timeout. The Wildcats responded with a 22-2 run to finish the set. They then led wire to wire in Set 2.
Liz Apgar ran a balanced Libertyville offense and coach Greg Loika said "tough service runs were the key to overcoming a slow start."
Alex Basler led the way for the Wildcats with 7 kills and 4 aces. Apgar had 21 assists and 5 digs, while Erin Dunleavy chipped in 6 kills. Hannah Zerwas also had 6 kills, and Annika Hawkinson contributed 4 kills and 2 blocks.
For Lake Forest, the loss ended the careers of seniors Maddie Locey and Jenna Dethlefsen.
New Trier d. Warren: At Warren, the eighth-seeded Trevians outlasted the No. 9 Blue Devils 22-25, 25-21, 25-23.
Six aces helped Warren (22-12) win the first set. The Blue Devils trailed in the third 13-4 before making a comeback that fell just short.
Lauren Frericks served 6 aces for Warren, while also contributing 6 assists, 9 digs and 2 kills. Nicole Berzin set 21 of 23 with 5 assists and 5 digs. Warren also received strong efforts from Lindsey Biedron (13-of-14 serving, 3 aces, 3 kills, 8 digs), Jenna Walczak (6 kills, 9-of-10 serving with 2 aces, 3 blocks, 13 digs) and Kim Hengesh (2 kills, 3 blocks, 5 digs).
Wauconda d. Chicago Alcott: At Antioch, Sara Sexton served 5 aces and slammed 4 kills in the Class 3A regional semifinal, as the Bulldogs won 25-11, 25-16.
Junior Kayla Wedl - who just committed to pitch for the University of Illinois Chicago softball team - led Wauconda in kills with 5. LeAnne Sakowicz added 4 kills, 4 aces, 11 assists and 6 digs for the Bulldogs, who will play Antioch in the regional final at 6 p.m. Thursday. Wauconda (25-8) also received 6 digs from Jane Sakowicz and 5 from Ashley Anderson.
Antioch d. Chicago Senn: At Antioch, the sixth-seeded Sequoits won 25-2, 25-5 to advance to Thursday's 6 p.m. Class 3A final against No. 3 Wauconda.
Stevenson d. Buffalo Grove: At Stevenson, Jori Radtke delivered 17 kills and 2 aces, as the seventh-seeded Patriots rallied for an 18-25, 25-20, 25-20 win in their own Class 4A regional semifinal.
Stevenson (22-13), which will play No. 2 Hersey in Thursday's 6 p.m. final, also received 9 kills and 10 digs from Isabella Milejczyk. Corissa Kurth had a huge match for the winners as well with 7 aces, 5 kills, 22 assists and 2 solo blocks. Morgan Berland led Stevenson in digs with 18.
Cary-Grove d. Lake Zurich: At Cary-Grove, the Bears' season ended with a 25-16, 25-16 loss in the Class 4A regional semifinal.
Lake Zurich (16-21) was led by Lexi Gora with 6 kills and 6 digs. Mickenzie Andrews and Hannah Sweetwood each had 3 kills.
Johnsburg d. Vernon Hills: At Vernon Hills, the fifth-seeded Cougars fell to the 12th-seeded Skyhawks 25-22, 21-25, 26-24 in the Class 3A regional semifinal.