CL South holds off Jacobs

When you think of the 2008 Crystal Lake South volleyball team the names of Katie Trayser, Erin Johnson, Caitlin Schumacher and Jordan Guida come to mind.

You can add Brittany Atkinson to the list.

The South junior middle blocker turned in a 6 kill, 2 block effort as the Gators turned back pesky Jacobs 25-20, 25-21 in one semifinal of the Class 4A Prairie Ridge sectional Tuesday night.

The Gators (31-7) play Huntley for the sectional title Thursday at 7 p.m.

"We have so many good players," said Atkinson. "I just want to help out. I was able to find some of the holes. We played with so much intensity and we had to because Jacobs played very well. This is an awesome win for us and this is another step toward to making it downstate."

South coach Jorie Fontana praised Atkinson's effort.

"Brittany doesn't get the accolades some of our kids get, but I don't know where we would be without her. There would certainly be a void in our lineup without her. She was solid and consistent tonight."

Jacobs (19-19) gave the talented Gators a tussle in both games. In Game 1, the Golden Eagles led 19-18 before the Gators rallied with a 7-2 run capped by a game-winning kill from Trayser.

In Game 2, Jacobs held an 18-12 advantage after a kill by Lauren Pigatto. But, similar to the first game, the Gators rallied. Led by 3 kills from Johnson and 2 from Atkinson, South ripped off 8 straight points to take a 20-18 lead. The Gators never looked back and won the game and match on an ace by Trayser.

Johnson paced the Gators with 9 kills while Guida collected 22 set assists and had 12 digs.

"We got off to a slow start and weren't as sharp as we could be physically or mentally," said Fontana, a Jacobs grad.

Pigatto ended her 4-year varsity career at Jacobs with 9 kills and 8 digs.