Huntley overtakes Crystal Lake S.

Huntley finally took control in Game 2.

After a choppy first game in which the Red Raiders trailed most of the way, they found their rhythm in the second game to down Crystal Lake South, 25-22, 25-18 in a Fox Valley Conference Valley Division girls volleyball matchup in Huntley Tuesday.

Samantha Boesch had 14 kills from the outside to lead Huntley (17-4, 7-1).

“We’ve just been playing ‘side out ball’ with people and not really putting the ball away,” said Huntley coach Michelle Jakubowski. “In the second game, we came out with a little bit more focus, served a little bit more aggressively, and put the ball away when we needed to.”

Trailing 21-20 in Game 1, the Raiders closed on a 5-1 run to pull it out. They scored 3 points with Eli Manning at the service line. After a Huntley error made it 24-22, Boesch’s kill finished it off.

By contrast, Huntley led all the way in Game 2. The Raiders broke the game open with a 4-point run mostly with Aryana Burgos at the line, and pushed the lead to 18-9 before a mini-run by the Gators made things interesting.

A block by Avalon Nero got the Gators to within 23-18, but a kill by Jaina Jackson gave the momentum back to Huntley. A Gator error provided Huntley with the final point.

Nicole Slimko’s 5 kills led South.

Ashley Smith had 8 kills and Jackson added 7 for the Red Raiders. Manning had 26 assists, and Amy Dion came up with 15 digs for Huntley.

South’s blocking kept the Gators in the match early, but they had no answer for Boesch down the stretch. She had 4 straight kills late in Game 2.

“She’s struggling a little bit on the outside right now, but we’ll come around,” said Jakubowski. “It’s that middle-of the season kind of lull.”