Mundelein hangs on
Brittany Jones and Megan Barron combined for 31 kills, as Mundelein's girls volleyball team avoided an upset by outlasting 11th-seeded Deerfield 25-20, 24-26, 25-23 in the Class 4A Lake Forest regional Thursday night.
No. 5 Mundelein (26-9) will face host Lake Forest in the regional final at 1 p.m. Saturday, after the fourth seed got past No. 13 Zion-Benton 25-21, 25-23 in the first semifinal.
Jones slammed 17 kills on 30-of-35 hitting, while Barron put down 14 kills on 30 of 33. Michelle Parssinen added 5 kills. Setter Kelsey Sullivan was busy with 36 assists on 79 of 80. Alysa Fritz led the Mustangs in digging (27 of 28).
Wauconda d. Gordon Tech: At Chicago Senn, the Bulldogs won their Class 3A opener 25-9, 25-10, ad Maddie Westman slammed 10 kills.
No. 4 Wauconda (22-13) earned a berth in Saturday's 1 p.m. regional final against No. 5 Vernon Hills.
Cara Nance added 5 kills for Wauconda, Megan Tallman lofted 16 assists, Stephanie Olson had 6 digs and Ali Morrison served 4 aces.
Vernon Hills d. CICS/Northtown: At Senn, Alisa Welter's 7 kills helped the fifth-seeded Cougars capture a 25-7, 25-6 win and advance to Saturday's 1 p.m. regional final against Wauconda.
Vernon Hills (22-13) also received strong matches from Alla Krashevsky (5 kills, 3 aces), Shannon Nugent (4 kills), Alana Coy (19-of-20 setting, 10 assists), Nora Snyder (3 aces), Amy Choi (15-of-16 digging) and Caitlin Ramsey (9-of-9 setting, 5 assists).
Johnsburg d. Grayslake Central: At Regina Dominican, the Rams saw their season end with a 25-11, 25-20 loss to the No. 7 seed in the Class 3A regional semifinal.
Johnsburg will face No. 2 St. Viator for the regional title at 6 p.m. Saturday.
No. 10 Grayslake Central (13-23) was led by Brianna Peterson with 4 kills and Klaudia Basierak with three. Emily Anderson set 38 of 41 with 10 assists.
"We got knocked off our game plan a little bit in Game 1 but were able to get back on it in Game 2," Rams coach Jason Janczak said. "Credit Johnsburg's defense. They did an outstanding job. I'm proud of the way our girls played tonight. They bounced back in Game 2 and played tough."
Warren d. Buffalo Grove: At Waukegan, the 17th-seeded Blue Devils won their Class 4A regional play-in by a 25-15, 21-25, 26-14 final over No. 16 Buffalo Grove.
Alex Booker had 15 digs and 3 kills for Warren. Shelby Myers added 13 digs and 2 kills. Libby Perron, Emily Rediger and Jaime Dickenson notched 2 kills apiece as well.
"The girls played good defense," Warren coach Julie Filippo said. "They were able to move the ball around in the front row, which made it fun to watch. Both teams hustled to keep the ball in play."
Hersey d. Warren: In the Blue Devils' second match at Waukegan, the top-seeded Huskies prevailed 25-22, 25-16.
"We played them tough," Warren coach Julie Filippo said. "We passed well and served well, keeping Hersey on their toes."
Warren's Alex Booker was able to hit her zones to score 6 aces, while adding 3 kills. Libby Perrone put down 4 kills, and Emily Rediger and Jamie Dickenson each had three.
Hersey will face host Waukegan, the 10th seed, in Saturday's 2 p.m. regional final.