Girls volleyball: ‘Just a great leader,’ McBride sparks Hersey over Fremd in three-set thriller

While leading Buffalo Grove to the 1988 IHSA state boys soccer championship, Brian McBride came back from an injury in the first half of a playoff game against Fremd and scored the game-winning goal, one of 80 in his terrific high school days which led to a professional career.

His daughter has found her niche in another sport which uses a round white ball.

Freya McBride, a senior standout libero for Hersey's girls volleyball team, also played like a champion against Fremd on Tuesday night in Palatine.

Freya's double-digit digs played a key role in the Huskies’ 21-25, 25-23, 25-22 Mid-Suburban League East match.

One of the top liberos in Illinois, McBride will continue her volleyball career in college at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

"I played on the freshman A team and was also playing club soccer at the same time," said Freya, a co-captain with classmate Mahi Vullakula.

"My teammates in volleyball made me realize I had more of a passion for that sport. Just being around every coach at Adversity (club team) and my teammates and coaches at Hersey really pushed me to be my best and made me see where I wanted to go. I was steering away from soccer even though I did truly love that sport, too. And my dad was very supportive of me."

Now as a captain for the second straight season at Hersey, McBride has steered the Huskies to a 14 -3 record (2-0 in the MSL East) playing with one of the youngest teams in coach Laura Gerber's fifth season in Arlington Heights.

Fremd is 8-5 and 1-1.

"The kids voted Freya a captain as a junior," Gerber said of McBride who made a terrific diving dig just inside the line that set up Anne Park's kill in the first set. "She's just a great leader verbally and as a player."

Karina Boduch was quite the player as a freshman who led Hersey with 14 kills while Vullakula had a handful of kills.

Fremd sophomore Emma Weaver served the final two points of the first set, getting a kill from freshman Hannah Pentzien and the game-winner from Loyola recruit Harper Neill (match-high 21 kills who was followed by teammates Zoe Horn's nine kills).

But Hersey answered in the second set, and broke a 23-23 tie with senior Cassidy O'Brien getting the final two points on kills from Morgan Matteucci and Boduch off a set from Danielle Jensen.

The Huskies trailed 21-16 in and then 22-19 in the third set but scored six straight points to win the match behind the serve of sophomore Avery Bashford, who had two aces to start it.

Fremd coach Pete Gavin called timeout at 23-22 but Bashford served another ace and O'Brien put down the match-winner.

"It was a scrappy match," said Gavin, whose senior setter Madison Drenth used an array of creative sets to collect 26 assists. "I thought both sides battled and fought. It was fun and a real solid match."

And no one was more solid on defense than McBride.

"She covers up a lot of the court and we did our best to keep the ball away from her," Gavin said. "She just reads so well she gets to a lot of balls anyway."

Like her father, McBride knows how to handle the round white balls.