Sommers sizzling in the fall

After setting Harper College to a national championship 11 months ago, should it be any surprise Katelyn Sommers is off to a sizzling start for Trinity International?

The Buffalo Grove graduate had an outstanding week when the Trojans opened their season.

The 5-foot-10 playmaker led the team in assists in four straight victories, beginning with 22 assists against Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee.

Sommers then collected 21 assists against Lake Forest College, 20 versus Crowley Ridge and 19 assists against St. Louis College of Pharmacy.

Trinity won eight consecutive matches during that stretch, the longest winning streak for the team in more than 10 years.

Sommers leads the team in assists and is fifth in digs.

"I enjoy being a part of the week-to-week improvement the team has enjoyed," said Sommers, an education major. "I feel the experience winning the national championship with Harper last year enabled me to bring a winning mentality to Trinity along with our other junior college transfers who come from successful programs.

"I also love playing with my great teammates and for the excellent coaching staff we have."

Olhava recognized

University of New Hampshire junior middle blocker Gabri Olhava (Hersey) was named America East Player of the Week.

The Wildcats captain led UNH to a 3-1 week, including a perfect 3-0 at the Holly Young Invitational where she averaged 3.50 kills, 0.94 blocks and 0.62 service aces per set. She also recorded a .375 hitting percentage.

Olhava recorded 42 kills (3.82 per set) and a .440 hitting percentage to earn all-tournament team honors.

She also had 5 aces and 9 blocks in the three matches. In the tourney, Olhava recorded three of the Wildcats' top five attack percentages this season.

In limited action vs. Siena College, Olhava pounded 13 kills and made just one attack error on 18 swings for a .667 hitting percentage to lead New Hampshire to a straight-set victory.

The next day in a five-set win against Rhode Island, she tallied a career-high 17 kills and a .412 hitting percentage, as well as 7 digs and 3 blocks as UNH outlasted URI, 3-2. Then in the finale against intrastate rival Dartmouth College, Olhava's stats included 12 kills, .304 hitting percentage, 5 blocks and 3 aces.

Olhave began the next week with 14 kills, 6 blocks and 5 aces in a five-set loss at Northeastern.

Men's golf

Augustana freshman Nicholas Bavaro (St. Viator) owns an 80.7 scoring average (484 in six meets) for the Vikings.

Bavaro shot a 169 (81-88) at the Midwest region Classic, which was held at Eagle Ridge Resort's North Course in Galena. The Vikings placed 12th in the 26-team tournament with a 36-hole total of 642 with rounds of 322 and 320.

Women's cross-country

Lewis University's Gaby Sanchez (Rolling Meadows) finished 88th in 20:50.6 as the Flyers tied for twelfth at the 5K Stegemoller Classic.

Girls volleyball

When he was playing middle for Stevenson's Class AA state runner-up boys volleyball team in 2000, Buffalo Grove native Blake Orlov never imagined one day he would be coaching a varsity high school girls volleyball team.

But 17 years later, that's exactly what has happened.

The 6-foot-5 native of Buffalo Grove is the first year girls volleyball coach at Deerfield High School.

"Like I told the team when I got here, the right job opened up for me and it was right in the area where I live," Orlov said. "It's the place I wanted to be."

It's not far from where he has been for the past 12 years.

Orlov is the founder of the Chicago Bounce Volleyball Club, which is about a 10-minute drive from Deerfield High School.

"I literally go right from high school practice with the girls to practice with our boys at the club at night," he said.

At Stevenson, Orlov played for coach Leanne Ulmer, for whom he later served as an assistant at Carthage College.

Coaching got in his blood when he attended Arizona.

Although he didn't receive any big-time college scholarships, he played on a national club championship team at Arizona and he was the manager for the school's men's volleyball team.

That proved to be an invaluable experience.

"I never realized how much you could learn on how to run a program while being the manager for a college team," he said. "You work with video equipment, setting up nets and being involved with the practices. You ride the bus and learn all the little things that matter.

"It's obviously an opportunity to be involved with a Division I program, it's just in a different way. It really helped prepare me for what I'm doing now."

Now Orlov is back at the high school level where he was an all-area player for Stevenson.

"It's surreal," he said. "I didn't think this would ever happen. But once I got to coaching (started at TNT Club when he returned from Arizona) I knew I found something I loved.

"I turned something I loved into a business. There's the saying you should be happy with what you're doing, And I found the thing that makes me happy."

Prospect Feeder

The Prospect Junior Knights girls feeder tryout schedule is Sunday, Oct. 15 and Sunday, Oct 22 at the Jean Walker Field House at Prospect High School.

It is for fifth through eighth graders from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Eligible players include girls from fifth through eighth grade who live within the Prospect High School District 214 boundaries. In order to try out, you must bring a completed registration form which is available on line at www.juniorknights.com.

Fremd Feeder

Tryouts for the Fremd girls basketball feeder program are set for Oct. 20 and Oct. 25 - seventh graders on Oct. 20 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Birchwood Recreation Center Gym, eighth graders on Oct. 25 from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Falcon Park Recreation Center Gym.

Students should bring a 28.5 size basketball and a water bottle.

If a second tryout is warranted, it will be announced on the first night of tryouts.

Waiver forms must be filled out. They will be available on the Fremd Feeder Girls website. Additional copies will also be available the night of tryouts.

If you have any questions, contact Mike Fullerton/Fremd Feeder Girls Director at mfullerton75@gmail.com

Rolling Meadows Feeder

The Boys Feeder Basketball program will host tryouts for sixth to eighth grade boys on the Sundays of Oct. 8 and Oct. 15 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Rolling Meadows High School. Please register/additional info available at rmhsboysfeeder.com

Questions, contact Kevin OBrien at kevinobrien3@yahoo.com.

The Girls Feeder Basketball program will host tryouts on the Sundays of Oct. 8 and Oct. 15 at Rolling Meadows High School. Fifth and eighth grades will be from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., sixth grade from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. and seventh grade from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Please register/additional info available at rmhsgirlsfeeder.com

Contact Kirk Ingemunson, kirk.ingemunson@gmail.com with any questions.

• Email Sports Notes items to jleusch@dailyherald.com.