Girls volleyball: Powerful Huntley too much for Barrington
Wednesday night's nonconference home girls volleyball match against Barrington was not just another match for Huntley senior and four-year starter Taylor Jakubowski.
The match had special meaning because Barrington's coach is Taylor's mom, Michelle.
Taylor earned family bragging rights as the Red Raiders needed only 32 minutes to dispose of the Fillies 25-14, 25-12.
"It is an emotional night and a cool experience to play against Barrington," said Taylor Jakubowski. "It is certainly not just another game on the schedule. The match means a lot to me."
Michelle Jakubowski praised her daughter's play.
"Taylor and Huntley run a faster offense than we will see all year," said the Barrington coach. "Taylor has such a high volleyball IQ."
Led by Jakubowski's 18 set assists and 3 service aces, the Red Raiders move to a perfect 11-0 for the season.
"Taylor puts a lot of pressure on herself when we play Barrington," said Huntley coach Karen Naymola. "It is not just another match to her."
The Red Raiders' potent hitting attack was led by Emma Konie with 9 kills. Ashley Konecki contributed 8 kills while Katelyn Bower and Kylie Jenkins collected 7 kills each. Josie Schmitendorf led the defense for the Raiders with 9 digs.
Barrington (8-9) was paced by Morgan Buckner, Noelle Daehler and Campbell Paris with 3 kills each.
Setter Amelia Sigaev collected 5 assists for the Fillies.
"Huntley is an outstanding team and it is always fun to play any Fox Valley Conference team because they play at such a high level," said Michelle Jakubowski. "This match was good for us to see where we are at this part of the season. We played better the second game and that is something we can build on."
In Game 1, Huntley started fast and never looked back. On a kill by Bower the Red Raiders jumped out to a 13-3 lead.
The Fillies whittled the lead to 21-14 on a kill by Buckner but couldn't get any closer.
A kill by Bower gave the Red Raiders a 1-0 advantage in the match.
Barrington started fast in Game 2, getting off to a 5-3 lead on a kill by Daehler.
The Red Raiders squashed any momentum the Fillies had by going on a pivotal 12-2 run.
A kill by Konie gave the Raiders a 15-7 lead.
Freshman Allyson Panzloff's kill gave Huntley Game 2 and the match.
"We have so many options on offense and Taylor does a great job of getting our hitters the ball in great position to get the kill," said Naymola. "Even though we are 11-0 and playing with a lot of confidence there are things we still need to get better at and our kids know that. They have a great attitude. They work hard in practice every day and want to get better."