Cary-Grove gets by Huntley
Winning championships at the recent Prairie Ridge and Jacobs invitationals while compiling a lofty 11-1 record, Cary-Grove's girls volleyball team entered Tuesday's Fox Valley Conference Valley Division lid lifter at Huntley considered as one of the top teams in the Chicagoland area.
The Trojans did nothing to tarnish their reputation.
Cary-Grove improved to 12-1 overall and 1-0 FVC Valley Division by knocking off the pesky Red Raiders 25-18, 25-21.
"Their libero (Amy Dion) is very good and Huntley came out strong in the first game," said Cary-Grove coach Patty Langanis. "We had to call a time out and totally change our game plan. The kids did a great job of executing and we got in a good groove."
Led by 2 kills by Amanda Carroll and an ace from Dion, the Red Raiders (7-4, 0-1) jumped off to a 6-1 lead.
But the Trojans didn't panic and battled back with a 11-2 run, erased a 5-point deficit and took a 4-point advantage, 12-8, on an ace by Colleen Smith.
Huntley got to within 20-18 on a kill by Ashley Smith but the Trojans rebounded to win the game by scoring the final 5 points. Three kills by Kelly Lamberti and a game-ending ace by Smith gave Cary-Grove a 1-0 lead in the match.
Game 2 was close throughout with 7 ties and 8 lead changes.
Cary-Grove seized the lead for good on a kill by Colleen Hargrove to make the score 20-19. The Trojans won the game and match on a kill by Lamberti.
"We really played well Saturday to win the championship at Prairie Ridge," said Cary-Grove senior Kayla Klinger. "Our goal was to beat St. Charles East and we were able to do that. We did a good job of refocusing tonight. Huntley is a strong team, but we wanted to start strong in the conference."
Lamberti paced Cary-Grove with 11 kills and 3 aces. Carroll had a solid effort for the Red Raiders with 11 assists, 3 kills and an ace.
"You have to play a perfect match to beat a great team like Cary-Grove," said Huntley coach Michelle Jakubowski. "We made too many mental mistakes. They have so many weapons. You can stop some a few of them, but it is hard to stop them all. The positive tonight was our serve receive. We were strong in that area tonight."