Girls volleyball notes: Stevenson surges after Taborek’s move to right side; Grayslake Central’s Dig Pink a hit

The Stevenson girls volleyball team is catching fire at the right time of the season.

Coach Tim Crow’s squad won 16 of 17 matches during a recent stretch, including taking home tournament titles at Niles West and Woodstock.

In a recent 10-match sample, right side Cate Taborek had 61 kills after making a switch to the right side from the middle. The Pats went 11-1 during a 12-match span since making that position change. Stevenson sat at 22-5 to start the week.

“We moved Cate to get her more sets and utilize her block more,” Crow explained.

Senior libero Zuzanna Wal had a season-high 18 digs in two sets against St. Charles North.

“Zuzanna has played extremely well for us the past two weeks with her solid defense and serve receive,” Crow noted.

Senior setter Ryler Bondad recently committed to The Master’s University in Santa Clarita, California, 30 miles south of Los Angeles, for beach volleyball. Master’s is coached by former AVP pro beach standout Annett Davis.

Antioch update: Hazel Ultsch continues to lead the team in kills (216) and aces (45) and has recorded 177 digs. “Hazel has been coming in clutch during tight-scoring matches,” Antioch coach Jimmy Lallaman said. “She has gone up against many more experienced and bigger players and has found ways to score against them.”

Payton Burris is the team leader in digs “and is keeping the ball alive on our side of the court,” Lallaman said. “She has been leading our ‘dig to attack’ initiative and her passing has consistently set our offense up for at least two hitter options.”

Grayslake Central update: The Rams have received a boost this season from freshman six-rotation outside Genevieve Hollenstein, who had team highs of 135 kills and 35 service aces through late last week. Hollenstein also is in Central’s serve receive pattern for five of six rotations and sometimes all six.

“Genevieve is leading our team offensively,” Central coach Arian Colton said. “For her age, she is far exceeding my expectations. We knew she was going to be good, but we didn’t know how she would handle the pressure. She is handling it great.”

Colton labels senior middle Amiyah MIller “a force.” Miller had 100 kills and 42 blocks through late last week.

“Amiyah has been coming on strong over the last couple weeks,” Colton said. “Her connection with her setter is getting better and better, and she makes smart choices with her shots.”

That setter is junior Alivia Salzman (nearly 250 assists), who is again running a 5-1 for the Rams. “Alivia is really finding her groove,” Colton said. “We are asking her to push the tempo of our offense and rely heavily on our middles. She is stepping up to the challenge.”

Junior defensive specialist Joslyn Salzman and sophomore outside Kara LaPorte also are drawing rave reviews from Colton. “Joslyn’s serving has been dialed in of late,” she said. “She is consistently hitting the zone with pace and giving us an advantage. Kara was called into duty recently and has come out fearlessly. She is swinging big and finding success. We are excited to see her step up.”

Central recently hosted its first Dig Pink match against Antioch and raised nearly $1,000 for breast cancer research. “It was a huge success,” Colton said. “We had a huge turnout in the gym with everyone wearing pink.”

Lakes update: Senior setter Sammi Madsen recently recorded her 1,000th career assist.

Eagles coach Sarah Yeager said junior outside Brynn Skinner has been the team’s go-to player of late, making an impact both offensively and defensively, while libero Lovelyn Zamora also has been a steady presence on defense, “consistently making great plays and providing a strong first contact.”

Libertyville update: The unbeaten Wildcats, 27-0 to start the week, recently downed Vernon Hills in straight sets thanks to the balanced efforts of Emerson Zovistoski (eight kills), Elle Knight (six kills), Mairead Fleming (12 assists, six digs), Byrne Colton (10 assists, five aces, four digs) and Charlie Fleegle (12 digs, two aces). The Wildcats started the week tied atop the North Suburban Conference at 5-0 with Lake Zurich. Each team had a two-match lead over Stevenson.

Vernon Hills update: In the Cougars’ recent win against Maine West in Central Suburban North action, outside Sienna Shah had five kills on eight swings, while middle Elliana Russell had three kills on four swings. Aria Shah and Grace De Young combined for 15 assists, while libero Allyson Koetz had seven digs. The Cougars started the week 19-7 and sat in a tie for first place with Deerfield in the CSL North (6-1).

Notable postseason seeds: Libertyville, of course, is the No. 1 overall seed in the upcoming Class 4A Lake Zurich sectional. Carmel Catholic is the No. 2 seed there with the host Bears earning the No. 3 seed and Stevenson the No. 6 seed.

In Class 3A at the Streamwood sectional, Vernon Hills is the top seed, while Wauconda is the No. 4 seed and Grayslake Central is the No. 7 seed.