Hersey back in familiar setting

Over the years, Hersey's girls volleyball team has ranked among the best in the state when it comes to winning regionals.

So, the last two years may have deserved an asterisk when the Huskies fell in title matches on their opponent's courts.

But they got back on track with authority on Thursday night, claiming their 24th in school history with a 25-15, 25-13 over No. 11-seeded Schaumburg in their own Class 4A regional at the Ken Carter Gymnasium in Arlington Heights.

The No. 3 Huskies (27-9) bolted to 8-1 and 5-1 leads in each set and never looked back.

They will face No. 2 Loyola on Tuesday night in the 7 p.m. semifinal match of the Maine South sectional.

The 6 p.m. semi features top-seeded New Trier and No. 4 Glenbrook North.

"Oh my gosh, it's so important when you get a lead right away like that," said Huskies senior middle blocker Katie Rozanski of the 8-1 cushion just three servers into the match. "It sets the tone for the rest of the match."

The tone was set on extra high throughout for the Huskies, who made sure they never lost the momentum in either set.

A side out tip kill by Liz Fuerst gave Hersey a 3-1 lead when junior libero Emma Frankiewicz stepped to the line and served 5 straight points for the 8-1 advantage.

"Emma had the dominating serve to start, and that was awesome," said Rozanski, who had 2 blocks and the final 2 kills of the match, the final coming on a set by sophomore Emma Strozewski. "It's amazing that our team played so well tonight. We just connected as a team. We needed to start strong and finish strong, and we did. Everyone played their best game."

Fuerst led the attack for the Mid-Suburban League champs with 9 kills, followed by Amy Morgan (5), Zoe Strozewski (3), and Mary Clare O'Shea (3).

Setters Maggie Riesel and Emma Strozewski each handed out 9 assists while Frankiewicz (12 digs), Liz Solans (11 digs) and Fuerst (11 digs) paced the back row.

"The girls followed the game plan to a tee," said Hersey coach Nancy Lill. "We wanted to take them out of their offense. We served really aggressively and that made the game easier."

Easily the winningest coaches in the MSL, Lill and Schaumburg's Jeanette Pancratz have a combined 1,703 wins.

"Congratulations to Hersey - they played an outstanding match," said Pancratz, who has won 809 matches. "We wish them the best of luck in the sectional. They were relentless. I'm proud of our girls and the things they accomplished this season,"

The Saxons (22-15) were led on attack by Mallory Gerber and Julia Spitelli, who had 4 kills. Abbie Rahn added 2 while Lexi Ross and Morgan Sterrett each had 1.

Schaumburg's best run of the match came in Set 1 when it scored 4 straight points (3 service points by Rahn) to cut a 16-8 deficit in half.

But Hersey answered with 5 of the next 6 points, sparked by three consecutive kills from the power-hitting Fuerst, an Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne recruit.

"We wanted to prove that we would not back down because we are a younger team," said Fuerst, who plays with nine underclassmen on Lill's roster. "We feel we are a threat in the state tournament and we're excited to see where that takes us."

It's taking the Huskies to Park Ridge, where they hope to keep playing the same kind of volleyball Tuesday.

"Our passing was awesome," Rozanski said. "Emma (Frankiewicz) was on fire. Our setters were just great putting the balls where they had to be. And our hitters all executed the ball where it needed to be."

And now the Huskies are where they want to be - in a sectional.