Girls volleyball: Addison Trail stuns Glenbard West

With a huge win within their grasp, Addison Trail stayed with the hot hands of Keara Schmitt down the stretch and it paid off big time.

The Blazers surprised Glenbard West on Thursday night in Glen Ellyn after Schmitt recorded four straight kills to hand the visitors the decisive third set 25-21. The Hilltoppers, the No. 1 seed at the upcoming Class 4A Addison Trail sectional, dropped the opener 25-23 after a slow start but then claimed the second set 25-12 and led in the final set 18-17 before the Blazers pulled out the statement win.

"We're super excited. They took the No. 1 seed in our sectional and we were ranked fifth, so it's really exciting to see that we can compete with a team like this," said Schmitt, a senior outside hitter.

A kill by Hilltopper Gabi Marquez had the third set tied at 20-20, but an error by the Hilltoppers was followed by the strong finish from Schmitt that gave her team the big victory. Four powerful swings by Schmitt - with one kill by Glenbard West's Ella Ridinger mixed in - made the final score 25-21.

"The energy from the bench was insane. Seeing every girl jump off the bench every single point was amazing," said Schmitt, who had 8 kills in the match. "At the end the setter, Anastasia (Labadessa), told me I need you right here, put this down. And I did."

While Schmitt came up big late, teammate Sarah Petrbok was a force all night long, recording 17 kills and 11 digs and adding an ace.

"Sarah's a leader and a great competitor," said Addison Trail coach Dan Styler, whose 18-10 squad responded well after Tuesday's tough loss to Downers Grove South, which was a battle for the conference crown. "Regardless of the score she's flying around and commanding the floor and we need her. All these girls showed that they were willing to be gutsy and aggressive and finish it off."

For Glenbard West, it was a disappointing result on senior night, but coach Peter Mastandrea hopes his team learns a lesson from the setback. They return to action Friday and Saturday at Glenbard East's Autumnfest tournament.

"We respected Addison Trail and we knew that this was going to be this kind of game," he said. "I don't know if our kids didn't believe it would be that tough or not, but that's one well-coached, disciplined team and that meant a lot to them to beat us. Hats to them and good for them. It's a huge wake-up call. If we can't get motivated to try and see them again at their place (at sectionals) then you know, we don't know how to compete."

The Blazers stormed ahead 10-1 in the opener only to have Glenbard West (21-7) battle back to take a 21-20 lead on a kill by Nina Crawford. Addison Trail then claimed the first set and rebounded from a rough second set to eventually pull out the win.

"We showed what we're capable of and ready for the playoffs," said Petrbok, who had 7 kills in the third set alone. "Hands down one of our best wins of the year and it came at the perfect time. We know now what we need to work on because this is a team we can see in the playoffs. Hopefully we'll see them again.

"When we come together and our team is ready we know what we're capable of. It was very fun."