Huntley wins own invite
Huntley won its 26th annual girls volleyball invite Saturday, but it was hardly a cakewalk.
First, the Red Raiders fended off Jacobs in 3 sets, then came back from a game down to beat Marian Central Catholic for the title.
Marian led 23-20 in Game 2 before Huntley came back to score the final 5 points. The Raiders led most of the way in game 3, finally putting the match away on a block by Jaina Jackson, 17-25, 25-23, 25-21.
Jacobs defeated St. Ignatius to take third place.
Samantha Boesch led Huntley (22-3) with 15 kills in the final. Ashley Smith and Jackson had 7 apiece for the Red Raiders.
The turning point came when the Raiders figured out how to block Emma Hussey. Until then, the Hurricanes' outside hitter was threatening to take over the game. Her kills accounted for 5 of Marian's final points in Game 2, helping the Hurricanes build the biggest lead of the game for either team at 23-20.
“I just switched up who was blocking No. 15 (Hussey), Huntley coach Michelle Jakubowski said. “We got a touch on her and that kind of changed the momentum.
After the Red Raiders slowed Hussey, it was Boesch's turn to take over. She had 3 kills in Huntley's final 5-point run. Nicole Levra served the last 5 points, including an ace.
The Raiders never trailed in Game 3 but could never shake the Hurricanes, either. A 4-1 run gave them their biggest lead of the game at 18-11, and they held on.
Libero Amy Dion finished with 29 digs, Eli Manning had 21 assists and 6 service points, and Levra added 14 assists.
Hussey matched her number with 15 kills for Marian.
In the semifinal match against Jacobs, Huntley dominated the first game, winning 25-13. But the Raiders fell behind early in Game 2 and could never catch up, falling 25-20. The Raiders scored 5 straight points to get within 22-20, but a tip by Quinn Luehring and a block by Clara Moravec helped the Golden Eagles hold on.
Huntley rebounded to take the third game, 25-18, behind a solid all-around game by Dion, who dug up everything in sight and even added some kills from the back row.
In the third-place game, Alyssa Ehrhardt was everywhere as the Eagles led most of the way in both games, winning 25-20 25-17. Ehrhardt finished the match with 10 kills, served well and played solid defense.
“Her defense has picked up immensely, said Jacobs coach Lisa Dwyer. “We've refocused, and that's the best defense I've seen her play.
Taylor Lesner added 6 kills for Jacobs.
St. Edward (9-16) won 2 of its 5 matches in the tournament using a new lineup. The Green Wave were swept by St. Ignatius, Harlem and Richmond-Burton but rebounded for sweeps over Oregon (25-23) and Streamwood (25-14, 25-23).
Margie Haggenjos led the Wave with 21 kills, 21 digs and 29 assists, Sarah Norman finished with 19 kills and 23 digs, Katie Ayello had 32 assists, 26 digs and 9 aces and Kristina Kolodziejczyk notched 36 digs.