Prairie Ridge a surprsing champion
The Prairie Ridge girls volleyball team sure did pick the right time of the year to get hot.
The Wolves, who posted a mediocre 18-16 mark in the regular season, claimed the Class 4A Crystal Lake South sectional championship Thursday, stunning defending state runner-up Rockton Hononegah 25-15, 16-25, 25-12.
The Wolves (22-16) advance to the Class 4A DeKalb supersectional where they will play St. Charles East (27-12) Monday at 6 p.m. The Saints knocked off Wheaton Warrenville South 25-14, 21-25, 25-20 to win the Lake Park sectional.
"We were awesome in the first and third games," said Prairie Ridge coach Stefanie Otto, whose team won the program's fourth sectional title. "We mixed it up well and we took advantage of some things. We missed some serves in the second game, but we came back in the third game and maintained it all the way through."
The Wolves rode the hot hands of senior Ashley Doherty, junior Sondra Parys and sophomore Taylor Brauneis.
Doherty collected 15 kills with 3 blocks and 3 aces, Parys had 12 kills while Brauneis had 7 kills, 12 digs, 4 aces and 32 assists.
"This is an awesome feeling," said Doherty. "We took baby steps this year and got better. Last year's team with all the talent didn't win a sectional. Words can't describe how I feel. We came out with a lot of positive energy and just believed we could win."
The Wolves took control of Game 1 with a solid serving game and good play up front.
With the score tied at 5, Doherty delivered 3 aces and Parys had 4 kills as the Wolves reeled off 7 straight points to take a 12-5 lead.
The Wolves' biggest lead was 21-10 after a kill by Parys. A block by Meghan Gregus gave PR Game 1.
Prairie Ridge just couldn't contain Indians 6-foot-5 senior middle blocker Elle Ohlander in Game 2.
The Wisconsin recruit crushed 5 kills as the Indians jumped off to an 8-2 lead. Hononegah never looked back as the Indians built a 21-7 advantage after a kill Sarah Crowley. A kill by Ohlander tied the match at 1-1.
The Wolves regained the momentum in Game 3.
PR, which never trailed, grabbed an 18-10 lead after a kill by Doherty. The Indians couldn't catch up.
Another kill by Doherty extended the Wolves' lead to 23-11. An ace by Brauneis gave the Wolves the game, match and the sectional title.
Ohlander paced Hononegah with 23 kills, 5 blocks and 3 aces. Crowley added 9 kills for the Indians.
"(Ohlander) is a great player," said Otto. "We did a great job of getting points when she wasn't in there and when she was in the back row."
Semifinals: The effort was there. Unfortunately the results weren't for Cary-Grove.
Hononegah outlasted the Trojans 25-19, 19-25, 25-20, ending C-G's season at 28-10.
"We couldn't have played any harder," said Cary-Grove coach Patty Langanis. "The girls really worked hard the last two weeks and we put a lot of pressure on the kids. The kids never complained. I am really going to miss these kids. They were a great group and there weren't any egos."
After dropping the first game, The Trojans battled back to win Game 2 and force a third game.
Trailing 19-18, the Trojans turned up the heat and ended Game 2 on a 7-0 run. It was the Smith twins Breanna and Danielle along with Allison Straumann that led the charge for the Trojans. Straumann had 3 kills and Both Breanna and Danielle Smith delivered 2 kills as the Trojans evened the match at 1-1.
Hononegah rode Ohlander in Game 3. The ssenior middle blocker had 5 kills and 3 blocks including the game-winning kill as Hononegah advanced to the sectional final. The talented senior ended with 17 kills.
Straumann paced the Trojans with 11 kills and Danielle Smith delivered 9 kills with 3 aces.
It took only 38 minutes for Prairie Ridge to dispose of DeKalb by the scores of 25-15, 25-16.
"Offensively we really clicked and jelled as a team," said Otto. "We were terrible defensively. We let too many balls hit the ground. That is hustle and pride. We didn't play with a lot of intensity."
The Wolves grabbed a 19-10 lead after a kill by Doherty and extended it to 20-12 after a kill by Parys. A kill by Brauneis gave the Wolves Game 1.
In Game 2, DeKalb (17-15) actually had an 11-8 lead after a kill by freshman sensation Courtney Thomas.
That was short-lived, though, as the Wolves blitzed the Barbs for 12 straight points. Doherty's 4 kills and 2 aces and 3 kills by Parys propelled PR to a 20-11 lead. A kill by Parys gave PR the game and match.
Doherty paced the Wolves with 10 kills. Parys added 9 kills and Brauneis had 4 kills with 3 blocks and 20 assists.