Vernon Hills on threshold — of title
Megan Willenborg's big day this weekend won't interfere with her sister Abbie's potentially big one Friday.
Megan's wedding rehearsal dinner will cause a conflict, however.
Sorry, sis.
“I think my mom was ready to kill me when I said (jokingly), ‘Do I really have to go to the rehearsal dinner Friday? Would (Megan) be really mad?' ” Abbie Gutzmer, Vernon Hills' girls volleyball coach and one of her sister's bridesmaids this weekend, said with a laugh.
By rallying to defeat visiting Antioch 21-25, 25-23, 25-22 on Senior Night in a match between unbeatens in the North Suburban Conference Prairie Division on Tuesday, Vernon Hills took over sole possession of first place.
The Cougars (18-10, 5-0) — without their head coach — will look to wrap up the division championship with a victory at home Friday against Lakes (16-7, 4-1).
Antioch (14-8, 4-1) plays at Wauconda (18-10, 3-2).
A three-way tie for first place remains a possibility, but Vernon Hills controls its own destiny.
The Cougars don't plan on being bridesmaids, so to speak.
“I can't remember the last time we were 5-0 and won the division,” said Gutzmer, whose Cougars have tied for the division title the last two years, losing to Libertyville in the conference title match last season. “It would be nice to actually go through (undefeated) and win this outright.”
Vernon Hills' players have a plan to keep their coach informed of their match Friday.
“She wants to Skype,” Cougars senior setter Sarah Lehman said. “We were just (joking) about how she was going to be eating a meatball and (after hearing the final score) she's going to roll it on herself.”
It was Antioch that was rolling Tuesday.
The Sequoits enjoyed a 10-4 lead in the second set and was still up 16-14 when Megan Meline's kill started Vernon Hills on an 8-3 run. Antioch went back ahead 23-22, but a Shannon Nugent kill tied the set for the Cougars, and kills by Jenn Claussen and Nugent forced the decisive set.
“We gave it away,” Antioch coach Glen Heitman said. “I don't know if they got too confident or what, but we lost our energy. (Vernon Hills) played well. We didn't follow our game plan. The middle of the court was open, and we didn't follow through with it. We let them dictate the pace of the game.”
Meline and Nugent pounded 13 and 12 kills, respectively, for Vernon Hills, which was within 22-21 in the opener. Antioch prevailed thanks to a kill from Marissa Grant (5 kills, 30 assists) and back-to-back aces to the back row from Jessica Ploss (6 kills, 3 blocks, 3 aces).
Vernon Hills bolted to a 4-1 advantage in the third set and never trailed after that, at one point leading 17-8. Brianna Grant's team-leading 12th kills pulled the Sequoits within 23-21, but Meline answered with a kill from the back row.
Vernon Hills got contributions from all six of its seniors — Meline, Julie Pecht (9-of-9 serving, 18-of-20 serve receive), Christie Currie (6 aces), Rachel Lira (6 kills), Taylor Krue (ace, block) and Lehman (84-of-86 setting, 30 assists).
“You look forward to senior night every year,” Lehman said. “Getting out there and losing the first game, we knew we just had to bring it. It was nerve-racking, but the result was so worth it.”