Johnson, Guida power CL South past Huntley
With Crystal Lake South's senior dynamic duo of setter Jordan Guida and Illinois-bound hitter Erin Johnson clicking on all cylinders, Huntley didn't have much of a chance.
Guida's 22 assists along with 17 kills from Johnson propelled the Gators to a 25-20, 25-13 victory over Huntley in the championship of the Class 4A Prairie Ridge sectional held in Crystal Lake on Thursday night that took only 33 minutes.
Crystal Lake South (32-7) advances to the Class 4A Elgin supersectional to play St. Charles East on Saturday at 1 p.m. The Saints advanced with a win over York
"I don't have to set the ball perfectly with Erin," Guida said. "You would think someone that is going Division I (University of Illinois) would pressure you to serve perfectly, but not Erin. We have great chemistry together and we were clicking tonight."
Said Johnson: "Jordan's passing was awesome tonight. The ball was right there all night. We work so well together and we were really on tonight."
Johnson and Guida attacked the Huntley defense from the onset.
With Johnson slamming 3 kills off 2 assists from Guida, the Gators blitzed the Red Raiders with a 6-0 start to begin the match.
Pesky Huntley stayed within striking distance and got within 21-19 after an ace from Jennifer Helm.
But Huntley couldn't get any closer as the Gators grabbed Game 1 on a kill from Brittany Atkinson.
In Game 2, Crystal Lake South broke a 4-4 deadlock with 6 consecutive points, and a kill by Caitlin Schumacher gave the Gators a 10-4 lead.
Huntley bounced right back with 3 straight points on 2 kills from Allyson Stellmach and a kill from Ashley Smith that sliced the Gators' lead to 10-7.
Crystal Lake South promptly seized control of the game and match with a 11-1 run.
Johnson's 5 kills, along with 2 kills from Kali Loescher, extended South's 3-point lead to 21-8.
A kill by Katie Trayser gave Crystal Lake South the game, match and sectional crown.
"This was an amazing win," said Gators first-year coach Jorie Fontana. "We worked on serve receive in practice and we were very good in that area. I have an unbelievable group of girls. Erin and Jordan were outstanding tonight, but this was a team effort."
Stellmach and Smith each collected 5 kills for Huntley (24-15).
"We knew Erin (Johnson) would get her points," said Huntley coach Michelle Jakubowski. "She is a great hitter. I was disappointed in our serving and we didn't block the outside. I am proud of the girls. We had a youthful team and they did a great job this season."