Girls volleyball: Crystal Lake Central hands Huntley 1st loss
Two talented combatants - Huntley and Crystal Lake Central - entered Thursday's Fox Valley Conference girls volleyball showdown with a combined 24-2 record.
Host Huntley opened FVC play on August 22 with a hard fought 3-set win over Central.
So, the second match of the 2017 season between the FVC powerhouses figured to be another classic confrontation.
It wasn't as Crystal Lake Central, on this night, proved to be the better team.
The Tigers gave Huntley its first loss of the campaign 25-20, 25-23.
"We made way too many unforced errors and we didn't block very well," said Huntley coach Karen Naymola. "Both are uncharacteristic for this team. You can't make those type of mistakes against a talented team like Central. Hopefully we can learn from this loss and it will fuel us for the rest of the season."
After dropping the first game of the match, Huntley (8-1, 8-1) seemed to be in good shape in the second game with a 16-8 advantage after an ace from freshman Emma Konie.
The host Tigers didn't panic and ripped off 7 straight points. Central (17-2, 8-1) climbed to within a point of the Red Raiders, 16-15, on an ace from Emily Kelly.
There were three lead changes until Crystal Lake Central took its first lead of the game 23-22 on a kill from Madelyn Blake. A kill from Julia Johnson tied the game at 23. The Tigers grabbed the game and match by scoring the final 2 points on kills by Madeline Timmerman and Megan Kelly.
Konie paced the Red Raiders with 8 kills, 3 blocks and 2 aces while Johnson contributed 5 kills and Aleah Amelio contributed 4 kills. Taylor Jakubowski dished out 20 assists with 2 aces and 8 digs. Sarah Zayas led the Red Raiders' defensive attack with 14 digs.
"We were playing so well in the second game," said Naymola. "We were swinging aggressively and we had the momentum. We just couldn't sustain it. We made one mistake which turned into six mistakes."
The winning Tigers boasted a balanced attack led by Blake with 7 kills and 3 aces. Emily Kelly contributed 5 kills, 3 blocks and 10 digs while Megan Kelly had 10 set assists with 10 digs. Olivia Doak had 14 digs to go along with 12 assists for the winners.
"Our defense was a lot better in this match," said Central coach Lisa Brunstrum. "I like the pressure we applied on them. Huntley is a much improved team so this was a big win. In the second game, we played too relaxed and were a little tight on the block. I like the way we came back and won the second game. We wanted no part of a third game."