Lake County girls volleyball notes: Libertyville, Carmel, Lakes stay hot heading into postseason; Cieslinski sets Vernon Hills kills record

The Libertyville girls volleyball team is on a roll.

Coach Greg Loika’s squad sat at 27-7 and in first place in the North Suburban Conference through midweek (6-0), winners of 10 of its last 11 matches.

Claire Evans leads the Wildcats with 234 kills and 42 aces. “Claire has been passing well and has attacked at her highest clip of the season recently,” Loika said.

Brynn Colton (341 assists), Charlie Fleegle (257 digs), Vivian Lang (53 blocks) and Avery Maddux also have been important parts of Libertyville’s success. “Avery has been playing excellent volleyball after missing the first several weeks,” said Loika, whose team hosts a Class 4A regional for the first time since 2018.

Antioch update: Mia Alanis (218 assists, 54 aces), Mikayla Haskell (154 kills) and Payton Burris (172 digs) lead the way for the Sequoits (10-23 overall, 2-5 NLCC).

“Mia has been dialing in on her setting ability and has been finding more success with her hitters due to more consistent hitting,” Antioch coach Jimmy Lallaman said.

Haskell, Lallaman noted, has committed to continue her academic and volleyball careers at Queens College.

Lallaman also likes how Addie Housh has been playing on the defensive end. “Addie has stepped up her defense and has been fighting for every ball and keeps our team playing through rallies,” he said.

Carmel update: The Corsairs have hit the 25-win mark, checking in at 25-9 overall at week’s beginning.

Playing big roles in that success have been the likes of sophomore outside Scarlett Olszowka (team-high 166 kills, 52 aces, 93 digs, 21 digs), sophomore setter Charlotte Shepherd (462 assists, 50 kills, 28 aces, 166 digs, 40 blocks), freshman middle Olivia Johnson (team-high 80 blocks, 129 kills, 67 digs, 8 aces), senior setter Suzy Trznadel (team-high 66 aces, 120 assists, 86 digs) and Jasmine Reformado.

Coach David Pazely was impressed with Johnson’s play in a recent match against Warren where she had 7 aces, 6 digs, 4 kills and 3 blocks. “Liv has the ability to dominate at the net, but when she gets going from the service line, she elevates the team’s ability to pressure an opponent and generate points,” he said. “Carmel will be tough to beat with Liv playing with that level of confidence as we step into the playoffs.”

Pazely also has been pleased with Reformado, who has been playing as a defensive specialist in the middle back of the Corsairs’ defense much of the season.

“Throughout the season, Jasmine has made multiple improvements to her technique and consistency,” Pazely said. “As a result, she has earned the libero jersey and elevated our team’s serve-receive, as well as our defensive discipline.”

Carmel is hosting a Class 3A sectional. Pazely noted the Corsairs have faced most of the teams in the sub-sectional and beaten all those sub-sectional teams they have faced at least once. Carmel has not won a sectional title in 14 years and has never sent a team to the state finals.

Grayslake Central update: The Rams (24-10) finished second in the Northern Lake County Conference at 6-1. Senior outside hitter Ella LaPorte leads the team with 250 kills, while senior libero Madalene Meckl is making a huge impact from the back row, leading the team in digs and aces, coach Arian Colton noted.

Senior middle Niah Mondesir and junior middle Amiyah Miller, Colton added, have stepped things up with their blocking and hitting efficiency. “Their blocking has become significantly more disciplined and they are getting more touches on swings,” she said. “Furthermore, they have become a much bigger part of our offense and are very reliable attackers.”

Colton said the Rams have been hard at work gearing up for the postseason. “We have been really working to specifically refine parts of our game to get prepared for postseason play,” she said. “This group is very reflective and always looking to grow and is working to play cleaner volleyball. We have had a few bumps in the road and are using those to make us better.”

Grayslake North update: Coach Nikki Kirchway noted the Knights (12-20, 3-4 NLCC) are playing better at the right time of the season.

“We are coming into our own,” she said. “Things we have been working on are clicking and the team is working hard. Our out-of-system play is one of our strengths, and it is great to see that we try to get swings on almost everything we can. Defensively, we are solid and scrappy. We have the makings of a very competitive team.”

Lucy Roscoe leads North in digs with 256, while Abby Dorich leads the way with 39 aces. Ava Werner is tops in kills (119) and Jane Pritchard leads in assists (168).

“Lucy does a great job as our libero,” Kirchway said. “She is our best serve-receiver. She is a fantastic defensive player. Ava is also stepping it up. Her ability to read the court goes unmatched. She is a very smart player.”

Lakes update: The Eagles are the Northern Lake County Conference champions after running the table at 7-0 (23-8 overall). Addison Sundquist (180 kills), Sammi Madden (433 assists), libero Lovelyn Zamora (243 digs) and outside hitter Brynn Skinner have contributed heavily. Coach Sarah Yeager has been particularly thrilled with what Skinner and Zamora have brought to the table lately.

“Brynn and Lovelyn have both brought tremendous intensity and grit to our team,” she said. “Recently, Brynn has stepped up as a consistent offensive threat, finding ways to score in key moments and providing steady leadership on the court. Lovelyn has elevated our defense with her relentless pursuit of every ball and ability to keep plays alive. Their energy and determination have set the tone for our team and inspired those around them to compete at a higher level.”

Stevenson update: Coach Tim Crow likes the way junior outside Abby Iman, sophomore middle Cate Taborek and senior libero Lexi Randel EL have been playing in recent matches.

“Abby has stepped up against some of the stronger teams we have faced,” he said. “She has put up multiple games of double-digit kills and her first contact has been excellent. Cate and Lexi have both missed pretty much the entire season due to injury and are now back playing. Both had a great weekend at Woodstock North and are getting back into playing shape.”

Iman leads the team with 272 kills and 216 digs, while Nomin Baterdene has 197 kills and 185 digs for the Patriots (21-11, 5-1 North Suburban).

Vernon Hills update: The Cougars downed Maine East earlier in the week and remain tied for first in the Central Suburban North at 7-2 (21-13 overall).

Of important note, junior outside Kiersten Cieslinski recently broke the Vernon Hills all-time career kills record with 659, doing so in 3 seasons. She leads the Cougars with 298 kills and 43 aces (to start the week).

“Kiersten has elevated her game offensively, consistently carrying the scoring load and leading the team through key matches down the stretch,” Vernon Hills coach Max Spiglanin said.

Freshman setter Aria Shah leads the team in assists with 314 and has 41 aces, while junior libero Allyson Koetz leads in digs with 218. Spiglanin added that senior Olivia Bush has been an outstanding leader and role model, “embodying the program’s values on and off the court,” he said. “As a servicing specialist, she’s come up clutch multiple times, helping secure key wins with her serve.”

Spiglanin likes where his team is at heading into the Class 3A postseason. “The team is playing confident, good volleyball at the right time of the season,” he said. “With balanced contributions from seniors and underclassmen, we feel prepared to compete at a high level and make a strong postseason push.”

Wauconda update: Junior setter Stella Lenox is the recipient of the Northern Lake County Conference sportsmanship award.

The Bulldogs finished in third place in the NLCC with a 5-2 mark (11-20 overall). Sophomore outside hitter Makayla Berg is in the Top 3 in the conference in kills, while junior setter Avery Georgian is in the Top 3 in assists and aces.

Coach Melissa Hales noted junior middle Karson Kunz and sophomore middle-right side Naomi Strickland have further developed into offensive options for the Bulldogs, “but they especially have stepped up defensively with blocking to be a strong, consistent force in the front row, making things a bit easier for our defense,” she said.

Hales is proud of the growth she has seen from her team as the season has progressed. “Our team has consistently grown over the year, battling some tough teams and finishing in the Top 3 in our conference,” she said. “Our consistency and fight has helped us in the second half of the season. I believe our team defense is one of our main strengths that will help us fight for our goal of winning regionals against some tough competition.”