Carmel springs playoff surprise
It's state tournament time.
You know what that means.
Things can get very interesting.
And in the case of No. 14 Carmel's convincing 25-14, 25-20 victory over No. 3 Libertyville in the Class 4A Palatine girls volleyball regional, it can be indescribable.
"I can't even explain it," said elated Carmel senior outside hitter Sarah Stanton, who put down 5 kills on Thursday night along with an ace. "This is unreal.
"We just came out and definitely wanted it more and fought right to the very end. It was awesome."
Not bad for a Carmel team (16-18) which had lost in a decisive two games to Libertyville (26-10) early in the season in Mundelein.
"It feels so good after losing that first to them at home," said junior Hana Turner, who produced 4 kills and 2 aces. "That just gave us the drive to win and we came together."
The Corsairs will come together again Saturday to face the No. 6 seed, Mid-Suburban League West champion Fremd (24-11), in the regional final at 2 p.m.
The Corsairs will be looking for their first regional crown since 2006, the first year they were coached by Carmel grad Bill Szczesniak.
"Every time these girls step on the court, they give it their all," he said. "It's all about the girls. I'm really proud of them."
Carmel led 17-13 in Game 1 and then scored 8 of the next points, getting kills from Turner, Erin Paterkiewicz (2 kills, 2 blocks) and Stanton along the way. There were also 2 aces from Turner.
Libertyville enjoyed a 15-11 lead in Game 2 on an ace by freshman libero Kristen Webb. Junior Catie Steffen's tip later put the Wildcats in front 16-13.
But the Corsairs wouldn't let up and went ahead for good at 20-19 on a kill by sophomore middle hitter Taylor Roby (3 kills, 2 blocks). Stanton followed with 2 aces and Roby had 2 more kills for a 24-19 lead.
Sophomore Megan Mowery (13 assists, 5 kills) then delivered a quick set to Turner for the match-winning kill.
It was only the second time the Corsairs went with a 5-1 offense all season. Mowery's setting partner Caroline Federer, who participated in the Corsairs' play-in victory over Highland Park at 5:30 p.m., had to return to school for a choir final.
Junior Karrah Toby added 3 aces for the Corsairs.
"That first match against them was a long time ago," said Wildcats coach Greg Loika. "Hats off to Carmel. They played a great match and we didn't respond to what they were doing.
"The good news for us is that we return the core of our team. You always want to lose playing your best and we certainly didn't - but give credit to Carmel. They had answers for everything we did."