Girls volleyball: Lake County All-Area captain Evans plays her best in biggest moments, leads Libertyville to sectional title
Two years ago, if you had asked Libertyville girls volleyball coach Greg Loika what Claire Evans’ career might look like going forward, “I’m not sure how I’d have answered that question, except to say everyone finds their footing at their own pace.”
And man did Evans ever find her footing this season. The 6-foot-1 senior outside hitter played a pivotal role in helping the Wildcats go 32-8, win the North Suburban Conference with a 7-0 mark and advance all the way to a Class 4A supersectional where they lost to eventual state fourth-place finisher Fremd.
The North Suburban Conference co-player of the year is also the Captain of the 2025 Daily Herald Lake County All-Area girls volleyball team.
“Claire arrived just when we needed something big to happen on the outside,” Loika continued. “Looking back now, she was so important to the success of these last two teams advancing to the sectional finals twice and being right there for a chance to play in the state finals (last week). We wouldn’t have been there without her.”
Evans led the team in kills (273) to go with 125 digs, 47 service aces, 23 blocks and 484 service receptions. And when the heat was turned up, Evans delivered, registering 11 kills against Hampshire on the Whip-Purs’ home floor in a Class 4A sectional title match. She had 10 kills against Jacobs in the regional title match and finished with 9 kills in the super at DeKalb against Fremd, leaving Libertyville as one of the Top 8 teams in the state in Class 4A.
Loika pointed out Evans hit .385 in those 3 intense matches. “Claire’s efficiency clearly propelled this team forward in the postseason,” he said. “Hampshire was maybe one of her best matches of the season and the emotion and power she was bringing was off the charts. We were playing on their home court 90 minutes from home. That type of fire helped neutralize the crowd and their advantage. Seeing her play her best on the biggest stages was so satisfying as a coach.”
Evans, who started playing the sport in eighth grade after stints with soccer and ballet, said playing right side on her Sky High club team paid dividends this high school season. “It helped me become a more versatile player,” she said. “I had a different outlook on the court, being able to attack on both sides. I feel like that helped a lot.”
Carmel Catholic coach David Pazely’s team played the Wildcats 3 times this season and got a full dose of Evans.
“Claire is more than a hard-hitting outside hitter,” he said. “She is a threat no matter where she is on the court. Like a good starting pitcher, with three or four go-to pitches, Claire has the same ability as a hitter. Also, her locations change constantly, making it impossible to set up in the same place against her, and her swing mechanics make her difficult to read. Add in the fact she can swing just as well back row as she does front row, has excellent ball control as a passer and an aggressive serve, and you have a complete player who is consistent and dynamic. It’s no wonder why Libertyville has been so successful during her time.”
“Well, when scouting, you obviously know she’s a go-to player for them,” Huntley coach Karen Naymola said. “When their team is in trouble, they are going to find a way to set her the ball either front or back row. Offensively, she has so many shots and variety that she is hard to defend. She is very consistent and very focused on getting the job done. She is an impressive outside that scores at will.”
Grayslake Central coach Arian Colton noted that one would think when Evans headed to the back row, the fireworks would take a break. “She is lethal with her back-row attack,” she said.
“Two things make Claire really hard to defend,” Mundelein coach Jeff Blezien said. “The first is her ability to reach. She contacts the ball at such a high point she is able to attack over the block at times or attack off the fingertips. Second is her control. Based on the defense, she’s able to hit all the spots on the court with a controlled swing with some power behind it.”
Stevenson coach Tim Crow, whose team finished second to Libertyville in the North Suburban this fall, pointed out Evans’ defensive prowess as a game-changer.
“Claire was one of the few kids in the NSC that could put a consistent pace on the ball,” he said. “She was also regularly targeted on serve-receive by opposing teams and she did a masterful job controlling the first contact.”
Evans said her success would not be possible without the support of her teammates.
“I couldn’t have improved this much without the support of my teammates, coaches and family,” she said. “We started this season as a pretty new team after we graduated a good amount of seniors. At the beginning of the season, we knew we had to make connections because it was a little harder to mesh together since we were all so new. After a while, it clicked. The girls became super-close and it translated well on the court.”
Evans said it has been a thrill to share the court (both high school and club) with one teammate in particular, Ella Sazy, her cousin, and a senior middle for the Wildcats.
“I was lucky enough to share the court with her the past couple years,” said Evans, whose sister, Lily, previously played at Libertyville (middle who graduated in 2024). “It was really important to be able to finish off my volleyball journey being able to play with her.”
Sazy said Evans plays with a sense of calm and ease. “Claire is a true example of a team player,” she said. “She is focused and determined to move the team forward. She always works so hard and is constantly improving.”
Sazy remembers the exact moment she felt Evans’ volleyball career took the next step forward.
“I vividly remember the day everything clicked for Claire,” she said. “In the summer of 2024, we were playing in a club tournament in Orlando and Claire had a lights-out game, hitting harder than I had ever seen her hit before. We were all in awe. It was at that moment I knew Claire was going to have the success she did.”
Evans has not made a decision on a college destination and if said destination will include playing the sport at the next level. Loika has not doubt she would excel if that’s the route she chooses to go.
“Claire’s desire to get better and work hard also truly helps her to keep becoming even more dangerous as a player, and though she’s a senior, she’s still a raw talent,” he said. “She has so much room to keep growing. Her ceiling is still above her and no doubt she could continue playing at the next level if she chose to. She would be an amazing find for a collegiate coach.”