Girls volleyball: Strong serving leads Hampshire by Jacobs

It seemed like every time Hampshire needed a crucial service ace Meagan Heine would provide it.

With 5 aces, including 3 in the pivotal second game, Heine's effort propelled the Whip-Purs to a 25-18, 25-21 win over Jacobs in Fox Valley Conference action in Algonquin Tuesday night.

Heine, who is the only member of the Whip-Purs who doesn't play club volleyball, added 6 kills with 3 blocks.

"I totally concentrate on volleyball during the season," said Heine, a key returnee for the Hampshire girls basketball team. "As a team we really have been working on serving and the placement of the serve. Tonight, I was able to put my serve where I wanted it. It was a great win for our team.''

Hampshire coach Lauren Jensen was pleased with Heine's effort.

"Meagan was outstanding tonight," said Jensen. "She was very focused and put her serve where she wanted."

Hampshire (5-3, 1-2), which collected 16 aces in the match, received 4 aces each from Lucy Magnussen and Gianna Garza.

In the second game, the Whip-Purs grabbed the lead for good at 18-17 on a kill by Olivia Magnussen. An ace by Heine and 2 kills from Magdeline Seagren gave Hampshire a 21-17 advantage. The Golden Eagles climbed to within 2 of the Whip-Purs, 23-21, on a kill from Rachel Holstein but couldn't get any closer.

Backing Heine's 6 kills, Olivia Magnussen and Seagren delivered 5 kills apiece for the winners.

"We were certainly the underdogs tonight," said Jensen. "We were really fired up as a team and really ready to play. It is about time our serving has come around. We were able to utilize the kill and had really good swings. Our blocking and play in the net was also very good."

Holstein and Autumn Miller paced the Golden Eagles (0-2, 0-2) with 5 kills each while setters Hannah Rivera and Talia Tomson collected 7 assists apiece.

"We had a much better connection and played much better in the second game," said Jacobs coach Lisa Dwyer. "We cracked a little in the second game and didn't meet the challenge. We improved from the first game and that is good to see."

In the first game, Hampshire took the lead for good, 10-9 on an ace from Heine. The Whip-Purs' biggest advantage was 22-13 after a kill by Seagren. Jacobs didn't quit and responded with a 4-0 run keyed by 2 kills from Holstein to make the score 22-17 but couldn't get any closer.

An ace from Garza gave Hampshire a 1-0 advantage in the match.