Powerful Cary-Grove too much for Hampshire

Tia Incapreo knows how to dig powerful spikes.

Hampshire's senior libero, an elite-level club player, spent practices last season digging hits by teammates Kara and Amy Wehrs, both of whom now play college volleyball at Kansas.

So on Thursday when Incapreo entered Elroy Fitzgerald Gymnasium home of defending Class 4A state champion Cary-Grove and powerful outside hitter Kelly Lamberti she did so with a glint in her eye, not fear in her heart.

"I knew coming into this game that these players are almost at a collegiate level," Incapreo said of the Trojans. "I look at that as a chance to better myself for the future. To me, these are the most exciting games because my stops can change the momentum"

Indeed, some of Incapreo's 8 digs kept the momentum with Hampshire early as the underdog Whip-Purs moved to a 7-4 lead in Game 1. However, the cream eventually rose to the top.

Led by 4 kills apiece from outside hitters Lamberti (6-0) and Melanie Jereb (6-1) and middle Ashley Rosch (6-1), not to mention a 9-point service run by Rosch, Cary-Grove's multifaceted attack took over in an eventual 25-16, 25-9 nonconference victory by the Trojans.

"They came out really hard because they wanted to try to dig Kelly and our big hitters, but then they got overwhelmed a bit maybe," said Jereb, who closed out Game 1 with cross-court kill. "But they were really, really scrappy. It was crazy."

How crazy? Crazy enough Cary-Grove had to work around Incapreo.

"That libero for Hampshire was touching every single ball," Trojans coach Patty Langanis said. "I stood up and told the girls to keep it away from her as much as we possibly can. Hampshire definitely had upset on their mind.

"But I give my girls credit. They stayed calm and they stayed collected. I didn't feel like we got rattled much, which easily could have happened with the kind of energy Hampshire showed up with at the beginning of Game 1."

Cary-Grove (18-0) caught up to Hampshire (8-10), thanks to consecutive aces from Ali Whimpey. Lamberti then reminded the Whips why she won a state championship as she drilled a Colleen Smith set straight down to put the Trojans ahead 9-8. They never trailed again.

Ashley Rosch later reeled of 9 straight service points, a run that included 2 of her 3 aces, to lift C-G to a 20-10 lead.

"In the beginning of the game, nothing was clicking," Lamberti said. "But after a couple of kills everyone sort of got in the swing of things and picked it up. Hampshire played awesome defense."

Incapreo and defensive specialist Kelly Meath stayed busy because the Cary-Grove offense often moved too quickly for Hampshire's front line to set a block.

"They came up with some big digs, but when there's absolutely no block it's hard to play defense," said Hampshire coach Karen Whitehouse, a 1999 Cary-Grove graduate who played for Langanis. "It was a great experience. To see a team like this is only going to make us better and prepare us for our regional. We can learn a lot from it."

The victory served as payback from a Cary-Grove perspective. Last year, Hampshire defeated the Trojans 25-22, 26-24. It was the only loss for the Trojans to a team from Illinois.

"We really wanted to beat them," Jereb said, "and we wanted to beat them by more than they beat us."

Smith finished with 15 assists and 6 digs for Cary-Grove. Alex Dumoulin led Hampshire with 4 kills.