Rose, York stop Young, Schaumburg

At 5-foot-6, York junior Caroline Rose is usually one of the shorter players on the court.

She may also be the best jumper and hardest hitter.

At Saturday's regional girls volleyball final, Rose's dynamic performance led the way for the host Dukes in a convincing 25-11, 25-12 regional title win over Schaumburg.

“Our entire team was ready to play today,” said Rose, who swatted a match high 8 kills to go along with her 2 aces and 12 digs. “This was a good all-around performance.”

Seventh-seed Schaumburg fell behind early in both games and couldn't put together any kind of a run to get back in the match.

“York is a solid team,” said Schaumburg coach Jeanette Pancratz. “We had some opportunities, but we couldn't capitalize on them. When you can't take advantage of the momentum you're given, the game is not going to go your way.”

Schaumburg's only lead in the match came at 5-4 in the 2nd game as 6-foot-2 senior Emily Young gave the Saxons a spark.

“We knew their number 20 (Young) was a strong player,” said Rose, “so we had to play strong and not stop until we got the job done.”

“I think she (Young) got kills on every ball she touched,” added York coach Patty Iverson. “We tried to do everything we could so that they wouldn't set the ball her way. She's a great player.”

Young, along with five other Schaumburg seniors, bowed out in their final varsity match for the Saxons, and Pancratz had nothing but praise for them.

“These seniors gave their heart and soul to the program,” said Pancratz. “They definitely raised the bar for Schaumburg volleyball.”