Girls volleyball notes: St. Charles East, North coming on strong; Huntley, Burlington Central standing tall in FVC
St. Charles East girls volleyball coach Jessa Henry likes what she is seeing up and down the roster.
“I am very excited for this group this year,” she said. “We have a lot of well-rounded players on the team.”
Henry said Emma Phillips and Francesca Fevold have been playing well of late. Phillips was leading the DuKane Conference in hitting percentage (.339) to start the week, while Fevold is on the DuKane leaderboard in aces and assists.
“Franki is also a great leader on the court and is running the offense well in an obvious way, considering she’s setting Emma,” she said.
Also of note, Henry added, has been the play of Gianna Gjokaj, who is among the DuKane leaders in digs and aces. In a recent match, Gjokaj passed at a 2.6 on a 3.0 scale, “which is incredible,” Henry said. “I am very proud of this group as a whole.”
Aurora Christian update: Eagles coach Mayra Johnson noted senior middle blocker Chloe Meyer has been a leader on the court in all aspects, leading the team in kills (97) and aces (41). Junior libero Madi Wagner was leading in service receptions (394) and digs (214).
“We continue to work on cohesiveness with such a young team,” said Johnson, whose team was 12-12 through its first 24 contests.
Cary-Grove update: Sophomore libero Kara Dunker was leading the Fox Valley Conference in digs with 261. She put up 28 digs in three sets against Jacobs and had 19 against Kaneland in two sets.
Freshman outside Jordyn Nielsen was leading the team in kills while putting up 21 kills, 25 digs and four blocks during a recent five-match span.
Burlington Central update: Senior setter Tiernan Naus recently surpassed the 1,000-career-assist mark, while senior middle Ainsley Wilson (Dayton) recently surpassed 500 career kills.
Freshman outside Lani Akenten passed 200 kills for the season and leads the squad in that category, while senior setter Makenna Manganiello posted a double-double with 14 assists and 10 digs in a win against Dundee-Crown. Junior outside Lexi Pineda is leading Central in digs with 192.
At the recent Richmond-Burton tournament, freshman right side Kaylie Brown made an impact with five kills in pool play against Antioch and three kills in the semifinals against McHenry. Brown hit .419 at Richmond. Akenten had 15 kills in the Dundee-Crown victory.
Through games of Sept. 28, the Rockets stood at 22-4 overall and 8-2 in the Fox Valley Conference, trailing only Huntley (11-0, 10-0).
Geneva update: Coach Lauren Kosecki noted junior outside Emma Peterson had 24 kills in two matches last week and had 273 kills to start the week, while fellow junior outside Zori Malone had 14 kills in two matches last week and sits at 125 kills. Senior libero Lexi Meives had 22 digs during a recent two-match span, while sophomore middle Charlotte Otto posted six kills in a two-match span. Senior setter Ally Stevenson recently earned her 1,000th career assist.
Huntley update: Izzy Whitehouse was leading the team in kills with 115. “Izzy has a knack for delivering the kills we need when we need them most,” Red Raiders coach Karen Naymola said.
Whitehouse led Huntley in kills in every match last week, “and what stands out most is her ability to elevate her game in the third set,” Naymola said. “When the pressure is on and we need someone to step up, Izzy consistently finds a way to make a big play.”
Naymola added Lucy Watson and freshman Kendall Malatia have stepped up big of late. “Lucy has come up with some huge blocks for us and has a real ability to change the momentum of a match with one play,” she said. “Kendall has also stepped up in some difficult, high-pressure serving situations and has consistently delivered, leading our team in aces each match.”
South Elgin update: Storm libero Brianna Decheva was averaging more than 10 digs per match at the midpoint of the season.
“Brianna has settled into the libero position and is leading our defense and making it a strength of our team,” South Elgin coach Jesse Bossenga said. “Her position on attackers, feel for the flow of the game and relentless pursuit of the ball make her stand out on a nightly basis.”
Bossenga also lauded the work of outside Camryn Boyd and setter Gracyn Dovichi. “Camryn continues to drive our offense, giving us a consistent source of offense on the outside that keeps us scoring points and preventing opponents from going on scoring runs. Gracyn’s ability to run our offense efficiently continues to improve, while continuing to lead our team from the service line. Her defensive presence has continued to grow.”
St. Charles North update: North Stars coach Lindsey Hawkins likes where her team is headed. “We seem to be turning a corner,” said Hawkins, whose team was 14-10 to start the week.
Hawkins said Ellie Sutter and Addie Kashuba have been great leaders for the North Stars on and off the court. Sutter leads the team in kills, while Kashuba leads in digs and aces.
Brynn Hopkins and Molly Meshenky also have been key cogs for North on the offensive end. “Brynn is hard to stop on the right side, so it’s nice to have her over there for both her blocking and scoring abilities,” Hawkins said. “This is a change for her since she has spent the last two seasons at middle for us. Molly has taken over in the middle and really offered us another hitting option, which has been great to be able to spread the ball around a little more.”
West Aurora update: The Blackhawks started Upstate Eight Conference West Division play with a 2-0 mark. Natalie Mitchell and Paige Werve are leading the team in kills.