Stevenson stops LZ
With Halloween rapidly approaching, Stevenson got into the dress-up spirit by hosting “Wacky Wig Wednesday for its girls volleyball match against Lake Zurich.
And then the home fans really had reason to wig out.
The Patriots prevailed 25-22, 25-22 Wednesday night to notch a much-welcomed win during a season that has seen them play powerhouse after powerhouse.
While Stevenson improved to 19-8 and 4-1 in the North Suburban Lake Division, the Patriots also avenged a loss in last year's regional final.
“So we had to go after them, Stevenson senior right side Shefali Arora, who ended the match with a block, said of the Bears.
Lake Zurich fell to 17-6, finishing with a 4-2 mark in the NSC Lake after winning the conference last year. Coach Matt Aiello was feeling confident about his team, however.
He even made a bold prediction.
“We will win our sectional, said the always confident Aiello, whose Bears are seeded third in the Class 4A Warren sectional behind top-seeded Libertyville and No. 2 Hersey, and ahead of No. 4 Stevenson.
“We will play more consistently. That's all we need.
“We're confident, but we're not going to be cocky, said Amanda Orchard, who Lake Zurich's attack with 8 kills on 19-of-20 hitting. “We put a lot of importance on the postseason, and that's hopefully when we're going to show up.
Stevenson isn't a team lacking confidence either. The Patriots' 8 losses include three to Cary-Grove, the top-ranked team in the country, and two to once-beaten Libertyville. Stevenson also has lost to Waukesha Memorial Catholic (Wis.), which is ranked seventh in the nation.
“We've seen the best that there is, Stevenson coach Tim Crow said. “So even against really good teams like Lake Zurich, our girls aren't go to get too rattled by them. They've seen great teams all season long. It's rare if we don't see one.
Stevenson's Carlee Berland continues to play great since her move to outside hitter from middle blocker last month.
She was perfect in 22 hitting attempts against Lake Zurich, slamming 14 kills, and was complemented by Rachel Baader's 4 kills on 14-of-16 hitting. Berland's 3 kills helped spark the Patriots to a 4-0 lead in Game 2. Lake Zurich later served for the tie, trailing 23-22, but Berland's kill gave the ball back to the Patriots, who used Arora's block to send their wig-wearing fans home happy.
“She's unstoppable, Arora, who had 2 kills and 3 assisted blocks, said of Berland. “She's such a power player. She just puts (attacks) away. It's amazing to watch her.
Jenna Przybyla and Carolyn McDonough dished out 15 and 12 assists, respectively, for Stevenson, while Nicole Duszczyk added 13 digs.
Lake Zurich couldn't protect a 20-17 lead in Game 1 and a 20-18 advantage in Game 2. Alexis Hartman and Layne Self had 3 kills apiece for the Bears, and Cathryne Spear served 3 aces. Hartman (38-of-38 setting, 15 assists) and Dori Darras both rang up 3 blocks.
“We didn't finish, Aiello said. “It's our job to finish. ... We made the errors. We were out of position. We couldn't finish blocks. We couldn't finish serves. We couldn't finish hits.
“When we're on, we're one of the best around, Aiello added. “When we're off, we make ourselves just another team.