Wauconda takes Prairie lead defeating host Vernon Hills

Two of the top girls volleyball teams in the North Suburban Conference Prairie Division squared off Wednesday night.

And - no surprise - the match went three games.

Wauconda came out the victor, defeating host Vernon Hills 25-13, 25-21, 25-22 to take over sole possession of first place and extend its winning streak to 12 matches.

Wauconda improved to 14-3 overall and 3-0 in the division.

"We have a shot at the Prairie Division championship, but we still have some work to do," Wauconda coach Jonathan Grandt said. "We have to get past Antioch, Grant and Round Lake, and those teams are going to give us a run for the money."

Vernon Hills fell to 13-5, 3-1.

"This is the game that we've been working for," said Vernon Hills senior Amy Choi, who had 29 digs. "Now we can only hope that Antioch and Grant can take Wauconda down."

The final game was tied 22-22 when Wauconda's Stephanie Olson delivered a kill. Two plays later, Olson's block gave the Bulldogs the win.

"We were expecting Vernon Hills to play very tough and we were surprised in Game 1," Grandt said. "They had some errors early on that maybe cost them. (Vernon Hills) came back and played great defense the rest of the match. Their libero (Choi) is a phenomenal player and did a great job on defense."

In the first game, Wauconda used a 7-point run to extend its advantage to 18-9 and the Bulldogs never looked back.

"We came out in Game 1 and made plenty of errors," Vernon Hills coach Abbie Gutzmer said. "It's hard to come back from that."

In the second game, the two teams were neck and neck until the Cougars' Nora Snyder scored on a kill to break a 17-17 tie. The Cougars closed the game with a 7-4 flurry, forcing a third game.

Olson led Wauconda with 10 kills, while University of Nevada, Las Vegas-bound Maddie Westman added six. Erin Hellweg chipped in 5 kills, and Megan Tallman posted 18 digs for the Bulldogs.

Junior Alla Krashevsky led Vernon Hills with 6 kills and also served 2 aces. Brigid Walsh and Megan Meline had 4 kills apiece, while Alana Coy dished out 17 assists and served a pair of aces.

Choi chalked 29 digs.

"We wouldn't have been even in the match if it wasn't for Amy in the second game especially," Gutzmer said. "She really stepped up and played the way we know that she can play."

"You have to know that you have to get every single ball and you have to be greedy," Choi said. "You're the person who will pass it off and get the digs and will not get the cheers for the kills."