Girls volleyball: Undefeated Huntley survives scare from Cary-Grove
Perfection.
Well, at least to start the 2019 season.
Huntley moved to 13-0 overall and 10-0 in Fox Valley Conference play with a hard-fought 25-21, 26-24 win over upset-minded Cary-Grove in FVC action in Cary Tuesday.
"We knew we would get Cary's best shot at their place," said Huntley coach Karen Naymola. "It was hot and loud but we did a great job of keeping our composure. This is always a hard place to play on the road. Cary came out in both games so aggressive and strong. We showed how close we are as a team and how much team chemistry we have."
Cary-Grove (14-5, 7-3) used its home court to its advantage to begin Game 1. With 2 kills each from Evynn Layshock, Jenna Splitt and Lauren Passaglia, the Trojans surprised the conference leaders with an 8-3 lead early.
The Red Raiders worked through some early struggles and tied the game at 11 on a kill by Emma Konie.
Huntley grabbed the lead for good 20-19 on a kill by Katelyn Bower.
The Red Raiders secured a 1-0 lead in the match on a kill by Ashley Konecki.
Similar to Game 1, Cary-Grove got off to a good start. An ace by Passaglia gave the Trojans an 11-6 advantage.
The Trojans looked to be in good shape to tie the match at 1-1 as Splitt slammed a kill to give the home team a 24-22 lead.
Huntley had absolutely no interest in playing a third game as the Raiders scored the final 4 points capped by a kill from freshman Allyson Panzloff.
"It is a very frustrating loss," said Cary-Grove coach Patty Langanis. "We had them on the ropes but we couldn't finish. Huntley has a lot of talent and they refuse to lose."
One of the unsung heroes for the Red Raiders is senior libero Josie Schmitendorf, who led the defensive attack with 9 digs.
"The gym was hot and their crowd was loud," said Schmitendorf, a 4-year starter. "We worked so hard together all summer for matches like this. Coach Naymola kept telling us to keep our composure. This is a great win in the conference on the road."
Naymola realizes the importance of Schmitendorf to the team.
"Josie really leads our defense," said the Huntley coach. "She is a tremendous leader and her teammates have a ton of respect for her."
Seton Hall recruit Taylor Jakubowski collected 18 assists while Konie and Bower collected 9 kills each.
Splitt and Layshock paced the Trojans with 6 kills while Passaglia and Julia Rice collected 5 kills.
Amelia Soltis led the defensive charge for the Trojans with 9 digs.