This Cary-Grove team winning in a new way

Beating the Cary-Grove girls volleyball team the last few years meant finding ways to block its two constants: powerful hitters Lauren McLaughlin and Lauren Lamberti.

With "the Laurens" now playing college volleyball -- Lamberti at Connecticut, McLaughlin at North Dakota State -- the only constant for Cary-Grove opponents is guesswork.

Instead of two big hitters blockers could focus on, the 2007 Trojans possess five talented offensive players, all of whom can all put the ball to the floor: senior outsider hitter Danielle Smith (5-foot-11); her identical twin sister Breanna Smith, who plays middle hitter; junior outside hitter Allison Straumann, who leads the team in kills; athletic middle Jamie Kuhl (6-1), a basketball player who doesn't play club volleyball; and right side Kelly Lamberti (5-11), Lauren's talented freshman sister.

Perhaps none is as devastating a hitter as either of the Laurens on an individual basis, but together this group's production is exceeding the sum of its parts.

Every coach would love to pencil the names of talented hitters like Lauren Lamberti and Lauren McLaughlin in the starting lineup, but the absence of two such dominant hitters on this year's roster forced Cary-Grove to develop a more, balanced, diversified offense, one that keeps blockers guessing.

"Usually we've always had to rely on a Lauren McLaughlin or Lauren Lamberti or Karen Liss or someone," said Cary-Grove coach Patty Langanis. "But now if there's a big block on our outsides, it's no big deal. Our other girls will bail them out. We can avoid blocks."

By avoiding blocks the Trojans have not only avoided the loss column, they are threatening to surpass the success they had last season with the Laurens.

In 2006, Cary-Grove went 29-9 and won the Fox Valley Conference's Valley Division with a 10-0 record before falling to Crystal Lake South in a regional championship match.

Sans Laurens the Trojans entered Thursday's showdown against Crystal Lake South winners of 19 of their first 22 matches. They stood 3-0 in the Valley Division and remained on track to reach one of the team's preseason goals: Cary-Grove's first 30-win season since 2001, when the Trojans finished 36-4 and reached the Sweet 16.

Offensive versatility has been a cornerstone of the 2007 team's success.

"I don't know how teams defend us because we have so many good outsides and middles and right sides this year," said second-year setter Abbey Heredia, a 5-7 sophomore setter. "Last year we had good middles, but we mostly went to the Laurens if we needed the kill.

"This year I can go middle, I can go outside -- anywhere -- and it's almost guaranteed to be a kill if the set is there."

The Trojans cleared an important physical and mental hurdle earlier this season when they beat area heavyweight Prairie Ridge for the first time since 2001. Proving that victory was no fluke, the Trojans pulled the trick again a few days later at the Prairie Ridge Invite.

"That was amazing," said senior libero Erin Wahl, a four-year varsity performer. "Losing to them would burn it hurt so much. They're our biggest rival and coach wanted to beat them so badly. Seeing how happy it made her… It was just our fire. We were out to get 'em."

Prairie Ridge coach Stefanie Otto complimented Cary-Grove's versatile attack.

"It's a very dynamic offense," Otto said. "They are a very physical team and aggressive. They do a lot of things well. Their offense is a little bit more balanced now, which does make it harder to defend."

Setting the team's middle hitters more often has led to points. Last season Heredia rarely set the middle, but thanks to consistent performances from Breanna Smith and the emergence of Kuhl, the Trojans can confuse opposing blockers with another weapon.

"Our middles have been working a lot harder to sell their set," said Straumann, who has spent two seasons as a varsity outside hitter. "They've been working harder to fake the block out so I only have one block up against me on the outside. It's really good that we're mixing up our offense and making it faster."

Langanis, whose career record in 13 seasons at Cary-Grove is 341-131 through Tuesday's win at McHenry, said blocking is still an area in which improvements must be made. The passing, she added, must remain crisp to set up Heredia and the offense.

However, Langanis firmly believes this team will continue to improve as it nears its peak, which is still to come, she says.

"We knew we'd have a great offensive team," Langanis said. "I guess it was a question mark as to where our serve-receive and defense would be, and it's getting better every match.

"We still have to key in on our blocking game, making sure we go there. Jamie's still relatively new to the sport of volleyball, but she's so big and athletic she's picking it up. As she keeps learning the game, we're getting better and better.

"I think this team will still be better by postseason than we are now because of the fact that we still have girls who are relatively new to the varsity level. We've still got a lot of room for improvement. That, for us, is exciting."

That could be bad news for the rest of the Valley Division, three members of which will attempt to knock the Trojans out of the playoffs next month in their quest for the Class 4A Jacobs regional title. Cary-Grove is grouped with FVC rivals Crystal Lake South, Jacobs and Dundee-Crown.

Last year Crystal Lake South knocked the Trojans out of the playoffs despite the presence of the two Laurens.

"I think the competition is really good out here," said senior outside hitter Danielle Smith. "I'm just glad to be having the season we're having right now.

"It's pretty cool."