Crystal Lake South notches regional title

In last year's regional championship match against Cary-Grove, Crystal Lake South's Caitlin Schumacher severely sprained her ankle in Game 1. She didn't return to the court and The result was a gut-wrenching loss for South against rival Cary-Grove.

With Schumacher healthy, the result was different this year. The Gator junior contributed 5 kills as top-seeded Crystal Lake South outlasted No. 2 Prairie Ridge 25-22, 25-22 in the title match of the Class 4A Woodstock regional Saturday night.

The Gators (30-7) advance to the Prairie Ridge Sectional where they will meet Jacobs on Tuesday night.

"This is an amazing feeling,' said Schumacher. "Last year was really tough watching us lose from the sidelines. I have thought about it since it happened, but tonight I was totally focused. We kept the intensity the whole match and everybody contributed."

Illinois-bound senior Erin Johnson riddled the helpless Prairie Ridge defense with 11 kills and 5 blocks. Katie Trayser chipped in with 8 kills while Kali Loescher led the defensive attack with 12 digs. Setter Jordan Guida collected 23 assists.

"This was truly a team effort," said Gator coach Jorie Fontana. "We were thankful Caitlin stayed healthy. We came from behind in both games and the girls really pulled together."

In Game 1, PR led 20-16 after a kill from Sondra Parys. But, the resilient Gators didn't panic. With Johnson attacking the net for 4 kills, South scored 4 unanswered points to tie the game at 20. The Gators claimed Game 1 on a kill by Trayser.

In Game 2, PR led 20-17 after a kill by Taylor Brauneis. Similar to the first game, the Wolves couldn't hold the lead. The Gators tied the game at 21 on a kill by Johnson. South took the lead for good on a kill from Lena Mack. A kill by Schumacher gave South the game, match and regional championship.

"This is an indescribable feeling," said Trayser. "After what happened last year in the regional championship match with Caitlin, this is a great win against a very good team. Prairie Ridge is so good you can't let up for a second. We did a good job of keeping our composure and our intensity the whole match."

Parys, who is headed to Toledo, led the Wolves with 13 kills.

"We made some mistakes and had too many serving errors," said PR coach

Stefanie Otto. "Erin had a very good game for them. She put down a lot of balls."

-Dave Hess