Girls volleyball: Lake County roundup
New Trier gave Libertyville's top-seeded girls volleyball team everything it had, but the Wildcats emerged to extend their season.
Hannah Zerwas slammed 6 kills, and Liz Apgar added 23 assists and 3 blocks, as Libertyville captured the Class 4A Warren regional championship with a 25-17, 19-25, 25-19 win over No. 8 New Trier on Thursday night.
Libertyville (31-6) received 4 kills apiece from Alex Basler (2 blocks), Anna Lillydahl and Annika Hawkinson (3 blocks). Morgan O'Brien rang up 25 digs, while Erin Dunleavy and Sinead Prentiss added 13 and 12, respectively.
"A hard-fought match both ways," Libertyville coach Greg Loika said. "The Wildcats played great defense throughout and dominated the match at the pins, while trying to contain New Trier's strong middle attack."
A back-and-forth third set saw Libertyville pull ahead 22-19 on a block by Lillydahl and Hawkinson. A kill by Basler sealed the victory and earned the Wildcats a berth in Tuesday's 5:30 p.m. Glenbrook North sectional semifinal against No. 4 Glenbrook South.
Wauconda d. Antioch: At Antioch, LeAnne Sakowicz's 9 kills, 12 assists, 9 digs and 3 aces helped the third-seeded Bulldogs win 25-23, 25-12 in a Class 3A regional final.
It's the first regional championship for Wauconda (26-8) since 2010.
Sara Sexton and Kayla Wedl chipped in 6 and 5 kills, respectively, for the Bulldogs, who advanced to Tuesday's 6:30 p.m. sectional semifinal against Wheaton Academy at Vernon Hills. Wauconda also received 3 aces from Catie Petralia, 10 digs from Ashley Anderson and 6 digs from Fernanda Gonzalez.
Glenbrook South d. Grayslake Central: At Grayslake Central, the 12th-seeded Rams sought their second upset in three nights and nearly pulled it off.
Instead, the fourth-seeded Titans pulled out a 25-15, 12-25, 26-24 win in the Class 4A regional final to advance to Tuesday's 5:30 p.m. sectional semifinal against No. 1 Libertyville at Glenbrook North.
Marie Gerbasi had 5 kills, 4 aces and 13 digs for Grayslake Central (22-16). Taylor O'Neill added 4 kills and 3 blocks for the Rams, while Allie Daul totaled 4 kills and 2 blocks. Hayley Peterson tallied 3 kills, 2 blocks and 2 aces, Morgan Anderberg chalked up a team-best 14 digs and Juliana Frusolone was 71-of-73 setting with 19 assists. Dani Sentz registered 12 digs.
"Our girls left it all on the court," said coach Jason Janczak, whose Rams ousted No. 5 Lakes in the semifinals. "They played incredibly well. Our seniors led the charge all this year. This is a tough group to say goodbye to. I'm proud of our team's effort tonight. It was a great season."