Zhou, Libertyville star in their own show

Libertyville's girls volleyball team is on an incredible run, opening the season with a 10-0 record, and part of the credit goes to, uh, Shawn Spencer (James Roday), star of "Psyche" on the USA Network.

Spencer pretends to be a psychic, but actually is just really observant - and his humor has aided Wildcats setter Cindy Zhou.

"It's a really funny show," Zhou said. "(The show) relaxes me, which is important. I don't have a lot of downtime, but when I do, 'Psyche' helps me relax, and helps me get ready for volleyball or school."

And she's literally perfect at both so far in her sophomore season. The Wildcats on Wednesday defeated Warren 25-10, 25-15 to hit double-digit wins without a setback (10-0, 4-0 North Suburban Lake), and she remains a perfect 4.0, all-A's honor student.

And that's nothing to laugh at.

"When I was young, people always called me a perfectionist, and that's kind of carried over to school (work) and volleyball; I always want to do my best, and I'm not happy with a B," said Zhou, 15, who tagged her AP European History class as her most difficult and her honors Spanish class as her easiest to ace.

Zhou, who lives in Libertyville and also speaks Chinese, has watched a nonstop five-hour "Psyche" marathon and also enjoys drawing and painting - and her most recent offering has an underwater theme, she said, with fish, coral and the sun shining through. And also Nemo.

"She's a great kid, awesome to coach; the sky's the limit as far as her potential as a player," said Libertyville's second-year coach Greg Loika. "Cindy is going to be really, really successful in life because she has great work habits, and that rubs off on other people."

Libertyville started its magical run August 24, with a two-set win at Glenbrook North. The Wildcats swept a pair from archrival Stevenson on Sept. 7, and followed that a few days later with a three-set win at Lake Zurich.

"We're doing very well this year," Zhou said. "We have a lot of (returning) and new talent combining, so I think we can go pretty far. I think we have a lot of teamwork this year. We're all really connecting. We all love each other a lot, and it's been good for us on the court.

"I knew we were going to be good, but to see us do this well and come together and have such a great team is actually kind of a surprise to me, but I really enjoy it.

"We have all been working really hard in practice. We're all really committed. We come in on time, get the nets set up so we can get started right away."

Said Loika: "We've had a pretty tough schedule early (on), yet the girls have done a really good job - and I've praised them after every match. They have really followed the game plan (for each match). That's been the key early."

Zhou has definitely improved her play from a year ago. She's more confident and boasts a jump set that has baffled plenty of foes so far.

"I used to not be so confident (with my jump set), but I've worked a lot on it this year," Zhou said. "My teammates have helped me, and I think I can do it pretty well now. Jump-setting really helps because it sort of allows you to confuse the other team's blockers, especially if you are (in the) front row because then they don't know if you're going to set or attack, and it also speeds up the offense a little more."

Take, for instance, the Lake Zurich match.

"When I was in the front row, I not only was able to jump-set the outsides and middles and the right sides, but I also was able to keep them on their toes at all times because they never really knew what was going to come," she said.

Zhou also has improved her serves. She's now more accurate, aggressive and nailing zones.

"She has a lot of skill, a lot of talent, but doesn't let it go to her head," Loika said. "She's really running the show out there (on the floor), executing the game plan. She manages a match, and that's something I didn't really see her doing last year with regularity.

"Her vision of the game and her vision of the court have really developed. Each (skill) really is outstanding."

Zhou is one of three key sophomores for the Wildcats, along with captain Kristen Webb and Taylor Zant.

Age or experience, or lack thereof, is not an issue to Zhou.

"Even when I was younger, I always played on teams with older kids so I think, over time, I've just managed with the pressure and have become better at accepting it," she said. "It's really nice having other teammates my age because they're easier to talk to and they know me better. Kristin is an extremely strong passer. Taylor is a strong hitter and blocker.

"Together, we are 'Pass, Set, Spike.' "

Just ask the Patriots, as Libertyville left Lincolnshire with a 25-17, 26-24 win over Stevenson.

"It was a goal of ours to beat all of the teams that we lost to last year, especially Stevenson, our big rival. That was a big one for us," Zhou said. "That win gave us a lot of momentum. That was one of our early wins against a big team, and that gave us a lot of confidence. Stevenson is always a big match, and we were kind of nervous for it. But once we got going, we were really able to play as a team."

Added Loika: "The team chemistry is outstanding. There's a ton of talent on this team, from the starters on the floor all the way to the end of the bench. What we had last year as far as youth has turned into experience and talent this year. Some people questioned moving some freshmen to the varsity last year, but they've really matured into the core of a really good team."

Such as, Zhou.