Girls volleyball: Naperville Central clicks vs. Glenbard North

Naperville Central played five matches at the Effingham Crossroads Classic last weekend without starting setter Janelle Skinner. So you might think that the Redhawks would need some time to get reacquainted with their floor captain.

But that wasn't the case, according to Naperville Central outside hitter Molly Stock.

"I thought that we clicked right away tonight," Stock said. "I feel like with us, we jelled really quickly at the beginning the season, and even with Janelle being gone for the weekend, it didn't really make a big difference today. I thought we played really well together."

Stock had 8 kills and Skinner and Megan Scott both had 15 assists as Naperville Central (6-4), which finished fourth at the 24-team Effingham tournament, defeated Glenbard North 25-15, 25-20 in both teams' DuPage Valley Conference opener Tuesday in Naperville.

"I thought we really learned how to work on the fly last weekend because we never played with our third setter (junior Charlotte Albright) before," Stock said. "She practiced with us for two days before we left and that's not enough time to truly gain that trust and bond. But I thought we clicked pretty quickly."

Naperville Central was clicking with Skinner back in the fold Tuesday, building a 17-7 lead in Game 1 to force a Glenbard North timeout. The Panthers overcame a 16-9 deficit in Game 2 to close within 21-19, but Stock bounced a kill off the block to stifle the visitors' comeback bid.

"I think we're playing so well together," Stock said. "It's a completely different team from last year. We had a lot of girls graduate. I really think we're off to a great start."

Junior Johana Havenaar added 7 kills and Sarah Schank added 6 kills for Naperville Central.

"I liked our transition off the net," said Naperville Central coach Jeff Danborn. "I liked the fact that we were able to run a couple of plays in there. Defensively, I think we could have been a little bit stronger at the net. Things to work on."

Glenbard North (3-7) was led by freshman setter/outside hitter Maddie Meyers with 7 kills, an ace and an assist.

"We're super-excited to have her, and I think the best part about her is that she's an outstanding kid," said Glenbard North coach Anne Bremner. "She does so much for us. For a freshman to walk out on the court and be your setter and your main outside hitter and your kill leader, she does that for us consistently and that's a lot to carry on her shoulders.

"She's doing a really great job," Bremner added. "She's definitely the future of our program."

Jenny Bettinger had 8 assists and Noelle Bank had 4 digs for the Panthers.