Girls volleyball notes: Fleegle moving up all-time lists for undefeated Libertyville; Albanese heats up for Carmel

The wins keep piling up for the Libertyville girls volleyball team.

After a recent sweep of nonconference foe St. Viator late last week, the Wildcats upped their undefeated 2026 start to 23-0 (3-0 in North Suburban action).

On the individual records side, Charlie Fleegle surpassed 1,000 career digs earlier this month. She ranks third all-time in that category in program history and now ranks second in career service aces with 194, surpassing Morgan O’Brien (Illinois/Texas) and Jaimie Marquardt (Iowa).

Coach Greg Loika noted starting setters Brynne Colton and Mairead Fleming “have been doing a remarkable job funneling the ball to our hitters, allowing our offense to continue to be dynamic, diverse and effective over the last few weeks, including our tournament run through the field in Effingham,” he said.

Libertyville hosts Stevenson (19-4, 2-1) Wednesday and faces Carmel Catholic for the third this fall Thursday in Mundelein.

Antioch update: Hazel Ultsch and Addie Housh both have been excelling of late, coach Jimmy Lallaman noted. “Both have been fighting for every point and stepping up in their respective roles as we deal with injuries,” he said. Ultsch started the week with 137 kills and 25 aces.

Carmel Catholic update: During a recent five-match span, junior outside Brailyn Albanese had 46 kills, 18 digs and five blocks, while junior setter Charlotte Shepherd had 133 assists, 45 digs, 12 digs, eight blocks and five aces, and sophomore middle Liv Johnson had 39 kills, 30 digs and 19 blocks.

Albanese recently had 12 kills against Lakes, junior right side Shea Kelly had 11 kills and two blocks, Johnson had nine kills and four blocks and Shepherd had 31 assists. “It was a big three-set win (against Lakes),” Carmel coach David Pazely said.

Carmel was 20-4 to start the week with two of those losses in three sets to Libertyville. The Corsairs went 3-2 over the weekend at the Border Battle hosted by Westosha Central in Salem, Wisconsin.

Grayslake Central update: Freshman outside Genevieve Hollenstein has been a standout, leading the Rams offense.

“For a freshman, Genevieve has taken on a significant role and has embraced the challenge,” Central coach Arian Colton said. “She brings a variety of shots and a lot of power to our offense, making her a consistent threat at the next.”

Alivia Salzman leads the Rams in assists after stepping back into a 5-1 setter role. “Alivia has done a great job running our offense and getting our hitters into position to be successful,” Colton said.

Colton also congratulated middle blockers Amiyah Miller and Lauren Anguilm for their recent play. “Amiyah and Lauren are working hard to run our offense through our middles and both have embraced that role,” Colton said. “They are making an impact not only offensively, but at the net with their blocking and in transition. They are two key pieces to our success.”

Central will host its first-ever Dig Pink match Oct. 7 against Northern Lake County Conference foe Antioch. “We are excited to partner with the Side-Out Foundation to bring this event to Grayslake Central and raise awareness and support for the fight against breast cancer,” Colton said. “It is a special opportunity for our program to come together with our school and community for an important cause.”

Lakes update: Senior right-side attacker Addison Sundquist recorded her 500th career kill last week. Sundquist is the Eagles’ all-time career kills leader and also established another program record this season for most kills in a single match (19).

Lakes coach Sarah Yeager said middle blocker Emily Johnson and junior outside Brynn Skinner are both playing well. “Emily has consistently worked hard to make herself available offensively while also giving us a strong and reliable presence at the net,” she said. “Her blocking has been a big part of our success.”

Yeager added Skinner continues to come up big for Lakes in key moments, “contributing both offensively and defensively,” she said. “Brynn is one of our true ‘never say die’ players —someone who gives everything she has every time she steps on the court.”

Mundelein update: Coach Jeff Blezien noted the Mustangs have three players with more than 100 digs at the half point of the season. Caitlyn Pyke leads the way with 178 digs.

Mundelein also is serving at a 92 percent clip. “We are serving aggressively,” Blezien said.

Blezien added Allison Tableman had done an amazing job both serving and defensively.

Donnelley Wyss and Serena Dodd, Blezien noted, have been notable when it comes to hitting more efficiently the past few weeks.

“This group has done an amazing job fighting through adversity this year,” Blezien said. “It hasn’t been an easy year, but we continue to show up on a daily basis and support one another both on and off the court.”

Vernon Hills update: The Cougars took third at the Woodstock invitational, defeating Woodstock, Streamwood JV and Jacobs, while losing to St. Charles East and Stevenson. Kiersten Cieslinski had 39 kills and 15 digs in the tournament, while Mya Beitzel had 20 kills. Aria Shah had 78 assists and eight aces. Vernon Hills earlier downed Niles North in three to move to 3-0 in Central Suburban North action. Natalie Hill had nine kills, nine digs and three aces in that big league win.

Postseason glimpse: In Class 3A, Grayslake Central, Grayslake North, Vernon Hills and Wauconda are part of the Streamwood sectional with Central and Wauconda hosting regionals. Antioch and Lakes are part of the Crystal Lake South sectional. In Class 4A, Grant Community, Warren Township, Lake Zurich, Libertyville, Stevenson, Carmel Catholic, Round Lake and Mundelein are part of the Lake Zurich sectional with Grant and Warren hosting regionals.