Girls volleyball: Kaneland outlasts Burlington Central

Returning just three seniors from a team that finished 33-5 and captured the school's second regional championship in 24 years, Kaneland girls volleyball coach Cyndi Violett wasn't exactly sure what to expect Tuesday night.

Admittedly, there were some peaks and valleys but the Knights (1-0) regrouped from a second-set loss to put away nonconference foe Burlington Central (0-1) by scores of 25-18, 22-25, 25-12 in Maple Park.

"Obviously in that first game there were some nerves," said Violett. "It took awhile there. They scored five points right away."

Trailing 6-3, the Knights rattled off 8 consecutive points with the help of some hitting errors by the Rockets and kills from juniors Lauren Steers and Katie Jablonski to grab an 11-6 advantage.

After dropping a back-and-forth second set, the Knights fell behind 6-5 before senior Sheika Mushunduzi recorded a pair of kills and Jablonski added 2 aces during a 5-0 run.

"We know our potential," said Mushunduzi, who collected 5 of her 10 kills in the decisive third set. "At practice, we always work on getting that kill or finishing that play. That's what we did in that last game."

Clinging to a 13-10 lead, the Knights seized control down the stretch, finishing the match with a 12-2 run that included 4 aces from junior Julianna Vassallo (12 digs).

"We're talented and young but I was proud of them because they were able to put it together, keep their composure and finish out what they needed to do," said Violett.

Jablonski (8 kills, 11 digs, 3 aces) delivered a pair of aces and Mushunduzi (10 digs) added an ace as the Knights collected 7 in the third set.

"It came after I yelled at them for awhile for their serving (earlier)," said Violett, whose team committed 8 service errors in the first 2 sets. "They needed to know that we can't just give them points."

The Rockets were led by seniors Madison Leone (6 kills, 2 aces), Gabby Soto (4 kills, 1 ace), Brittany Parks (3 kills), Maddie Lenschow (3 kills, 1 ace), and sophomore Kathryn Schmidt (3 kills, 2 blocks).

"I saw a lot of good things," said Burlington Central coach Meghan Blahnik. "I think it's just consistency.

"They're now as confident in themselves as they should be so it affects how they play."

Burlington Central will prepare for this weekend's Metea Valley tournament.

"I think a lot of it is getting reps playing with each other," Blahnik said of her team's lack of confidence. "We're working on some new things so it's also getting used to those things."

Junior setter Sydney Fedderly finished with 14 assists for the Knights.

"It's great to start out with a win with a different group, especially being young and rebuilding a little bit here," said Violett.