Girls volleyball: Good times for Lakes' high-achieving Grant

Erica Grant, Lakes' slugging hitter, is enjoying a good part of her life.

Her Eagles volleyball squad surprised many during an outstanding campaign. In addition, her volleyball skills will take her far from home to Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville.

Lakes set school records this year, winning 18 straight matches to open the season and finishing with 29 wins. The Eagles went undefeated in the Northern Lake County Conference.

"It felt great, to be completely honest," Grant said of the winning streak. "I felt like we were on top of the world and that any team that came our way we could beat."

Grant, a senior, took her team to two wins over a strong Stevenson team and into the Class 4A Wauconda sectional, where the Eagles' season ended Monday night with a loss to Prairie Ridge. For her performance, she has been selected as captain of the Daily Herald Lake County all-area volleyball team.

"Erica is a leader both on the court and off," said coach Jenni Floren, whose Eagles finished 29-4. "She leads the team by setting an intensity level that inspires her teammates."

Through regional play, Grant paced a balanced offense with 264 kills. Her hitting was on target at .490. She also played defense for her team, as her 177 digs attest.

"Erica has a passion for volleyball that I don't see in a lot of players," Lakes libero Alyssa Bombicino said. "She never gives up. She is very levelheaded. And she intimidates other teams with her power."

So where did Lakes find this player? She was playing club volleyball for the Wisconsin Juniors. Grant officially fell in love with this sport back in the seventh grade.

"My parents would take me to Northwestern games," she said. "I fell in love with the speed and the atmosphere of the game."

The Eagles saw something in Grant early and promoted her to the sophomore team upon entering the high school. She earned a promotion to the varsity for the playoffs.

"I remember being so happy to be welcomed into the volleyball family," Grant said. "I was getting to know people and making friends. All the girls were so nice. I took that to make sure that everyone who came up in coming years would be welcomed the same."

No one, not even Grant, expected Lakes to go more than a month into the season before suffering its first loss.

"I didn't see this coming because we had so many people joining the varsity level," Grant said. "Having new energy, new levels of players, new faces to say hello to - I think that is really what brought this team together. We all strive to do our best."

As the playoffs started and another match with Stevenson loomed in the regional final, Grant first had to face a Grant team that could give the Eagles trouble. The Eagles nipped the Bulldogs in three sets, then bounced Stevenson in two sets to capture the Grant regional championship.

"It was amazing," Grant said. "To take Stevenson in two was incredible. We really stepped it up in practice."

Grant ratcheted up her game a notch all season.

"She is someone who all Lakes volleyball players look up to," Bombicino said.

Tennessee Tech is no doubt thrilled to secure her.

"I saw a lot of notifications that someone was reviewing my recruiting site," Grant said. "I decided to check out (Tennessee Tech) and fell in love with the school when I visited. I'm going to miss my friends and family, but I'm ready to start my life beyond Illinois and see how college treats me."