Cary-Grove able to deny Jacobs
Being the defending Fox Valley Conference Valley Division champions, Cary-Grove's girls volleyball team realizes it will get each opponent's best effort.
Jacobs gave the Trojans a tussle, but Cary-Grove prevailed with a 25-23, 25-11 victory In the FVC Valley Division opener for both teams in Algonquin Tuesday night.
"Jacobs is a very scrappy team that always plays us tough," said Cary-Grove coach Patty Langanis. "They really tested us in that first game. We pulled through And the momentum carried over to the second game. When we started blocking we were tough to stop. This is a total team and we have a lot of offensive weapons."
With Lauren Pigatto and Keri Bultman dominating the middle, Jacobs (8-8, 0-1) led most of the first game and held a 21-17 lead after a kill by Pigatto.
But Cary-Grove, which fashioned a perfect 10-0 mark to win the FVC Valley Division last season, battled back and tied the game at 23 on a kill by freshman outside hitter Kelly Lamberti.
The Trojans claimed the first game courtesy of 2 kills by Danielle Smith.
"We did exactly what we wanted to do in that first game, but couldn't find a way to win," said Jacobs coach Lisa Dwyer. "We made them change their game plan. When you play a team like Cary-Grove you have no room for error."
In Game 2, Cary-Grove (17-4, 1-0) got off to a quick start by jumping off to an 11-1 lead. An ace by Breanna Smith gave the Trojans an early 10-point advantage. Jacobs never did recover from the heartbreaking first game loss.
The Trojans' biggest lead was 21-5 after a kill by Allison Straumann. Jacobs cut the lead to 22-11 after a kill by Pigatto but couldn't get any closer. Straumann paced Cary-Grove's balanced hitting attack with 9 kills and 4 blocks. Danielle Smith delivered 5 kills while Breanna Smith and Lamberti had 4 kills apiece. Jamie Kuhl contributed 4 blocks for the winners while setter Abbey Heredia picked up 27 assists.
"It was huge to start the conference with a win," said Breanna Smith. "Everybody on this team wants to win and we have a lot of heart. We have very good chemistry on this team."
Amy Cavanaugh led Jacobs with 5 kills. Pigatto, Bultman and Klaudia Velazquez had 4 kills apiece. Brittney Mascola delivered 17 digs for the Golden Eagles.
South Elgin d. Elgin: South Elgin grabbed an Upstate Eight Conference victory by downing the Maroons 20-25, 25-19, 25-15. Alyssa Krause led South Elgin (3-7, 1-3) with 8 kills. Teammates Christie Cortese and Alexa Kruel each added 7 kills. Hayley Bradley also added 4 aces from the line to help lead the Storm to victory.
Burlington Central d. Marengo: The Rockets (14-3, 2-0) defeated Marengo 25-10, 25-12 for a Big Northern East win. Stephanie Holthus led Burlington Central with 8 kills. Senior Teresa Krog had 4 aces with 6 kills. Molly Turk tallied 27 assists while Kim Ingraham put down 7 kills with 3 blocks to help keep the Rockets ahead.
Hampshire d. Harvard: The Whip Purs (15-0, 2-0) remained undefeated as they opened up Big Northern East play by defeating Harvard 25-18, 25-13. Jenna Karkos led Hampshire with 10 kills while Amy Wehrs was right behind with 9 kills. Kara Wehrs also contributed with 19 assists.
Dundee-Crown d. McHenry: Dundee-Crown (8-3, 1-0) opened the first Fox Valley (Valley) season with a win, defeating McHenry 25-22, 25-11. Amanda Lutzow led the Chargers with 9 kills while Stephanie Thorsen added 5 kills.
Streamwood d. East Aurora: Streamwood (8-7, 2-1) defeated the Tomcats for an Upstate Eight victory by scores of 25-12, 25-13. Katie Post led the Sabres with 6 kills and 4 aces while Hue Lee also added 4 kills. Adriana Salgado tallied 11 assists with 4 aces to keep the Sabres battling.
St. Charles North d. Larkin: Larkin fell to the North Stars in an Upstate Eight Conference match-up 25-9, 25-10. The Royals' Claire Sherman had 2 digs while Natalie Beaver added a block and 1 kill. Jacqulin Goodlove also contributed with 1 ace for Larkin.
Fox Valley Lutheran Academy d. Genoa-Kingston: The Falcons defeated Genoa-Kingston 25-12, 25-22. Sarah Williams collected 3 aces while Annie Nelson put down 4 kills to lead the Falcons to victory.
Crystal Lake Central d. Prairie Ridge: The Tigers (16-0, 1-0) started the Fox Valley (Fox) season with a win over Prairie Ridge by scores of 25-18, 25-19. The Tigers were led by Rachel Thornquist, who collected 11 kills, and Carly Hayes who added 10 kills. Kelly Farrell also contributed 28 assists for the Tigers.
Timothy Christian d. Westminster Christian: In the Private School League Westminster (4-12, 10-3) fell to Timothy Christian 25-12, 22-25, 25-8. Jessica Benson led the Warriors with 3 kills while teammate Abby Stevenson added 2 kills with 4 digs. Sarah Russell collected 6 assists with 2 kills for Westminster.
Grayslake North d. Huntley: Huntley fell to Grayslake North in a Fox Valley (Fox) match-up 25-17, 25-19. The Red Raiders (8-8, 0-1) were led by sophomore Toni Jaehnig, Krissy Berquist, and Allyson Stellmach who each contributed 4 kills against the Knights. Allyson Berquist also recorded 3 aces for Huntley.
CL South d. Woodstock: Erin Johnson had 8 kills and Katie Trayser added 7 as the Gators (7-4, 1-0) won this Fox Valley (Valley) contest 25-21, 21-25, 25-18. Jordan Guida had 26 assists for the Gators and Morgan Kilberger 7 blocks.