Girls volleyball: Comfortable in new role, Neill powers Fremd past Hersey
When junior Harper Neill entered the Fremd girls volleyball program two years ago, she had only played the libero position since beginning the sport at a young age.
But Vikings coach Pete Gavin had different plans for the Loyola recruit.
He has played Neill as an outside hitter for the past few years in a move that has been golden. Taking her cues from senior setter Madison Drenth, Neill has become the Vikings' top attacker.
She showcased those skills again Thursday night with a match-high 14 kills that sparked a 25-21, 25-22 triumph over the host Huskies. The Vikings (16-9, 5-2) avenged a three-set Mid-Suburban East loss to Hersey (20-6, 5-2) last month in Palatine.
“(Neill) is a special kid,” Gavin said. “We've talked about how unusual her volleyball IQ is. She very well might be the smartest volleyball player I've coached.”
Neill was an almost perfect 27-of-28 putting her attempts over the net, taking a variety of sets from her friend Drenth, including slides and twos (high middle sets).
“(Drenth) made me feel welcome on the team when I was a freshman,” Neill said. “She has a lot of trust in me, which helps my confidence a lot, especially when I get blocked. She's not afraid to go back to me because she has trust in me.”
Nursing a 21-20 lead, Neill put down her second kill of the first set, and the Vikes never looked back.
Her third kill of the set made it 24-20. After a kill by Hersey's Cassidy O'Brien, Zoe Horn (five kills) put down the set winner for Fremd.
Neill exploded in the second set for 11 kills, including the match winner during a rally in which Hersey standout libero Freya McBride made a terrific dig off one of Neill's hardest smashes of the night.
“Harper is a really good player,” said Hersey coach Laura Gerber, who was without one of her setters, senior Danielle Jensen (concussion). “It's really hard to stop (Neill). Even if you have a double block, she'll find the seam or go over the top. She is just really smart.
“It was a great match. They're such a good team, so well-coached and their defensive coverage (Neill had 23 digs and sophomore Reese Newton collected 18) is unbelievable. They pick up everything so nothing drops that normally would. Good for them. I thought Freya (McBride) played really well for us.”
Obviously, Neill plays really well in the Fremd offense despite earning her Loyola commitment for her defensive prowess. She put down a career-high 21 kills against Hersey last month and had 18 against Lockport in last year's Class 4A finals.
“It's nice that she tells me where I need to set it,” Drenth said. “And she can execute when I set it to her.”