Lake County girls volleyball notes: Libertyville takes title at Effingham to stay perfect; Grant rebounds after slow start
The big story out of the gates has been the success of the Libertyville girls volleyball team.
The Wildcats won the notable downstate Effingham Crossroads Classic over the weekend to improve to a perfect 20-0 this season.
Libertyville downed Chatham Glenwood in three in the title match to win the event for the first time. Charlie Fleegle (20 digs against Glenwood) was named the tournament MVP, while Emmi Zovistoski and Carsen Sesi were named to the all-tournament team. Sesi had 10 kills in the final, while Vivian Lang had nine kills. The Cats also defeated Breese Mater Dei and Center Grove (Indiana) in the gold bracket on the way to a 5-0 showing.
Libertyville also won the Grayslake Central Ram Slam for the third season in a row, downing Carmel Catholic in the final matchup of the day. Brynn Colton had 14 assists and 10 digs for the Cats, while Mairead Fleming had eight assists and five digs.
Earlier, Libertyville downed Carmel in three to win the Crosstown Classic (5-0 there) for the first time since 2019. The Cats outscored Carmel 16-4 to end the match. Sesi had 10 kills, while Zovistoski had nine kills and Elle Knight had six kills. Fleegle had 16 digs.
Antioch update: Freshman Hazel Ultsch (71 kills, 13 aces, 1.7 passer rating), senior Nora Ultsch (56 kills) and senior Payton Burris (87 digs) have played well for coach Jimmy Lallaman’s squad.
“Both the Ultsch sisters are off to a hot start with a big offensive presence and are becoming a core part of the offense,” he said. “They are the go-to hitters and have become a threat against every team we have played.”
Carmel Catholic update: Junior setter Charlotte Shepherd is already over 300 assists through only 15 matches and currently sits at 1,435 career assists. Junior libero Beca Arreola had 115 digs in 11 matches and had a passing rating of 2.0 on a 3.0 scale. Sophomore middle Liv Johnson was leading the team in points earned with 71 kills, 34 blocks and 20 service aces.
Coach David Pazely also lauded the work of junior right side Shea Kelly (86 kills, 18 blocks). “Shea keeps our team balanced,” he said. “She has a heavy arm and puts up a huge block.”
Grant Community update: Middle Kara Schubert (93 kills, 23 blocks), sophomore middle Jersey Kettner (13 blocks), senior outside Zoe Freund (30 service aces) and senior libero Zendrea Pfau (33 aces) have played well for the Bulldogs.
Coach JP Gizowski noted Pfau has two serving records at the school, most aces in a career and most aces in a match.
Grant started the season 1-6, but had won seven of nine matches during a recent span and sat at 8-8 through late last week. “Our team knew that is not the team we wanted to be and worked incredibly hard since,” Gizowski said.
Grayslake North update: Senior Ava Werner (26 assists, 27 digs, 22 kills), freshman Aubri Williams (21 digs, 18 kills, nine aces) and junior Jenna Marasco (31 digs, 10 kills, six aces) have been strong out of the gates for the Knights.
Lakes update: Senior right side Addison Sundquist (team leader in kills with 113) set a new program single-match record with 19 kills recently.
Lakes coach Sarah Yeager said Sundquist and junior middle Emily Johnson have been leading the way. “Both are go-to players in our offense and consistently make an impact at the net, while also ranking among our team leaders in blocks. Their consistency, competitiveness and ability to come through in big moments have been a huge part of our success,” Yeager said.
Lake Zurich update: Juniors Sage Olson (three-year varsity starter; 157 kills, 76 digs, 12 blocks, 11 aces) and Vesta Adakukas (64 kills, 46 digs, 12 aces) along with Emerson Smith (64 kills, 45 digs, 15 aces) have fueled the Bears in the early going. Lake Zurich holds wins against Naperville North and Stevenson and also finished 4-1 at the Conant-Fremd tournament, losing only to Maine South in three.
Mundelein update: Coach Jeff Blezien pointed out the Mustangs played 16 matches during a two-and-a-half-week stretch. Caitlyn Pyke (162 digs, 4.5 digs per set, multiple 20-plus-dig matches, 13 aces) and Shayla Agarwal (141 assists) have led the way, along with freshman Julia Zakreta (team leader in aces with 17, third in kills with 51 and digs with 95).
Vernon Hills update: Kiersten Cieslinski has been an offensive force (110 kills, .346 hitting; 45 kills, .354 hitting during a recent four-match run) for the Cougars, while middle production from Mya Beitzel (21 kills, .375 during four-match stretch) and Elliana Russell has been plentiful (both with 46 kills) with coach Max Spiglanin emphasizing their emergence.
Aria Shah (198 assists, 62 digs) also was lauded for her efforts running and distributing the offense, Spiglanin noted.
Warren Township update: The Blue Devils recently took third at the Jacobs invitational and won two matches at the Niles West tournament, including one against North Suburban foe Stevenson.
Peyton Visek (1.81 passing), Jenna Holleb (1.73) and Natalyla Alvarez (1.69) are leading the way in serve-receive, while Miya Tanni, Elyse Hale and Visek also have contributed offensively. Hailey Beckman, Bianca Bungcayao and Ava Rans have registered time at the setter position, while Shayla Ray has been a strong presence at the net (18 blocks) as have Karoline Yang and Tanni.
Jenna Holleb has been a consistent defensive leader (72 digs), while Hale and Beckman also are helping keep rallies alive and giving Warren’s offense opportunities to reset, coach Terri Vander Jeugdt noted. Yang and Hale have been strong at the service line.
Wauconda update: Bulldogs coach Becky Muff said Avery Geoghan has done a great job running the offense, while Olivia Jones has been leading the team in service aces. “Serving has been a strength for our entire team,” she said. “That pressure from the service line has been a big part of our success so far.” Muff added libero Gabbi Lichon and middle blocker Naomi Strickland also have been key cogs.