Girls volleyball: Libertyville bonds on road trip, returns with another victory
Innovative car designer and manufacturer Henry Ford was once quoted as saying, “Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success.”
While Ford may never have witnessed a volleyball match, his team-bonding philosophy was ahead of its time and is still a driving force in sports.
Case in point is the Libertyville High School varsity girls volleyball team, ranked No. 4 in the Daily Herald area. The squad took team bonding to a new level last weekend during a road trip to the Effingham Crossroads Tournament in central Illinois, where it faced teams from Missouri, Indiana, and downstate Illinois, resulting in wins in three of five matches.
Wednesday night, the Wildcats’ total team effort led to a 2-0 victory in a North Suburban Conference match at Lake Zurich (10-6, 1-1). Libertyville, now 16-5 overall and 2-0 in the league, prevailed 25-18 and 25-15.
“We have a newer team because we lost a lot of seniors, which means the underclassmen have had to step up to the plate,” said Libertyville junior libero Charlie Fleegle, who contributed 18 digs.
“We really bonded as a team last weekend, and that shows up in practices and in competition. We stayed off our phones, had dinner together, and worked a lot on our communication.”
Libertyville coach Greg Loika agreed that the team benefited from the time away from home.
“One hundred percent,” he said. “That team bonding may have more value than anything we can do on the court. We drove a long way and were on the court until 11 p.m. Friday night and then went out to dinner.
“We played great Friday night and not quite as well Saturday, but the girls had a great time getting together and having fun.”
The Wildcats also enjoyed themselves Wednesday night while keeping Lake Zurich at bay. Each time it appeared the Bears were about to make a move and take control, Libertyville had an answer.
“It was not our best night,” said Lake Zurich coach Rachel Wiatrowski. “Our defense was better than our serve receive, but we were inconsistent on offense.
“I did think (junior setter) Ella Elsen did a great job of changing the tempo, playing aggressively, and making good choices. And (junior outside hitter) Emerson Smith had a good match, passing, hitting, and attacking well.”
For Libertyville, senior outside hitter Claire Evans had 3 blocks, 7 digs, and 4 kills, while sophomore outside hitter Emmi Zovistoski added a season-high 7 kills.
Senior middle hitter Avery Maddux chimed in with 3 kills and 3 blocks, and sophomore middle hitter Vivian Lang also had 3 blocks. Adding 4 kills and 2 blocks was junior outside hitter Elle Knight.
Freshman Romy Fleegle had 2 serving aces, junior Mairead Flemming 4 assists, and freshman Brynne Colton 12 assists and a serving ace.
The Bears had won three of their last four matches prior to the clash with Libertyville. The Wildcats’ triumph was the 10th in their last dozen matches.