Elk Grove bounces back, stun Fillies
The Elk Grove volleyball players knew all about their opponents who were on the other side of the court for the first time since 2002.
They were the Barrington Fillies, the six-time Mid-Suburban League champs of this decade.
The Grenadiers, though, played with confidence throughout and came away with a dramatic 15-25, 25-18, 28-26 victory they hope will ignite their 2007 campaign.
"It was amazing," said senior southpaw Annie Fitzpatrick, who slammed 2 of her 6 kills late in Game 3. "They (Barrington) were fourth in the state (Class AA tournament) a year ago. So this felt really good."
"This meant a lot," added senior outside hitter Katie Spychala, who put down 8 kills. "This pumps us up with energy for the rest of the season. We're ready for our tournament (Early Bird) this weekend."
What Grenadiers coach Joe DiSilvio liked best was his team's resilience after the first-game loss.
"We kind of folded in that game so to see them come back strong in Game 2 and really compete in Game 3 was awesome," he said. "I'm really proud of the kids. No matter what sport you play Barrington, you know you're in for a challenge, so this was a nice win."
The Grens (2-0) built a 20-10 lead in Game 2 and never looked back.
Junior Katie Loos, who finished with 6 kills, put one down for a 24-18 lead before a hitting error by Barrington ended it.
In Game 3, the Fillies jumped ahead 6-2. The scored was tied 17, 18, 19, 20 and 22 before an ace by senior defensive specialist Meredith Derr gave the visitors a 23-22 lead.
The Fillies led 24-22 but Elk Grove staved off match points on a kill by Krystina Leazer and hitting error by Barrington.
Fitzpatrick's kill made it 27-26 before a hitting error by Barrington ended it.
"My setter (Kelsey Prochenski, who had 19 assists in the 6-2 offense) was giving me some really good sets," said Fitzpatrick, who plays front row. "And Amy (Tranchita with 10 assists) was giving good sets, too, to her hitters.
"We weren't blocking as well as we can, but Megan Maize made some good passes and hit well out of the back row."
Barrington was without two key hitters -- 6-foot-2 senior Jackie Patmore (mild ankle sprain) and 6-0 sophomore Emily Harris (coach's decision).
"Not to make excuses, but that makes it tough to get sideouts," said Fillies coach Chris Bronke, whose club (0-2) lost to highly-regarded Marist on Monday (25-10, 25-15). "When Elk Grove needed a tip or a kill, they found it. They had a good game plan and executed it well. They beat us."
Junior Cait Gallagher (3 blocks) led the Fillies with 10 kills, followed by sophomore Kelly Pickering (6) and senior Marley Leitner (5).
Setter Lizzie Farr (3 aces) handed out 14 assists while Madeline Root had 7. Katie Goldrath (2 aces) collected 13 digs and Pickering (11).
"I leave here excited about going back to the practice gym," Bronke said. "We take this as a positive. It was a better effort than Monday night. We made some improvements."
Leazer (11-of-12, 2 aces), Maize (7-of-9, 1 ace) and Prochenski (7-of-7) were top servers for Elk Grove.
"I told the girls every year I feel we're taking a step in the right direction with the program," said DiSilvio, now in his sixth season. "And this was a good start for this year."