Girls volleyball: Cary-Grove handles Jacobs
After losing two straight matches, Cary-Grove's girls volleyball team was desperate to break that skid against Jacobs in a Fox Valley Conference tilt in Algonquin Thursday night.
It wasn't easy but the Trojans got the job done with a hard-fought 25-15, 25-23 victory over the Golden Eagles.
"Jacobs always plays us tough," said Cary-Grove coach Patty Langanis. "They never make it easy on us. They play hard and are very pesky. Lisa (Jacobs coach Dwyer) always has her team ready to play. We are playing with more confidence and we are competing against everybody we play. This was a very good win."
Playing without sophomore Evynn Layshock (flu), Cary-Grove (6-5, 3-3) was paced by senior hitter Amber Olson, who collected 9 kills with 4 blocks.
"We are developing as a team and learning as a team," said Olson. "We have had a slow start this season and have struggled at times. We are staying positive and this was a good win. Jacobs always plays us tough."
Freshman Jenna Splitt delivered 7 kills along with 4 aces while Kate Selsky had 13 digs. Melissa Josefowicz, subbing for Layshock, came up with 6 kills along with 2 blocks.
In Game 1, upset-minded Jacobs (2-8, 0-5) started fast with a 6-3 lead capped by a kill from freshman Maggie Wallenberger. The Trojans took the lead for good at 14-13 on a kill by Emily Schuster. Ending the game on a 12-2 run, the Trojans took a 1-0 lead in the match on an ace from Splitt.
Like the first game, Jacobs started fast in Game 2 with a 8-4 lead. Senior hitter Autumn Miller had 2 kills during the Golden Eagles' early run.
The Trojans methodically whittled away at the lead and seized control of the game on a kill by Olson to take a 15-14 advantage. The Trojans' biggest lead was 23-19 on a block by Splitt. Cary-Grove won the game and match on a kill by Olson.
Jacobs was paced by Kelly Ross with 5 kills while Wallenberger and Miller contributed 4 kills and 3 kills respectively. Hannah Rivera enjoyed a solid overall match with 2 kills, 3 aces and 12 assists while Jordyn Kelly led the defensive attack for the Golden Eagles with 12 digs.
"We have struggled early in the season and have been frustrated," said Jacobs coach Lisa Dwyer. "I am trying to keep the team positive. I like the way we were having fun tonight and celebrating every point. I like the way we were communicating. We were bummed we didn't take the match to three games but I like our effort."