Wauconda volleyball measures up against Harvard

When a girls high school volleyball coach has the luxury of literally looking up to many of his players, life tends to be pretty good.

It certainly was Wednesday for Wauconda coach Jonathan Grandt against visiting Harvard.

Wauconda overpowered Harvard and rolled to a 25-15, 25-17 victory.

"We have four kids that are 6-foot or over," Grandt said. "This is the tallest team we've had, and it lets you do a lot of exciting things."

A smile washes over the face of senior setter Kristy Waltenburg when asked what it's like to have such height to set to.

"It makes my (job) easier," Waltenburg said.

It can't be fun for an opposing team to walk into Wauconda's new gym and see so many tall players.

"It's probably intimidating to other teams because we tower over them," junior Maddie Westman said.

After giving up two consecutive points to start the first game, the Bulldogs won 8 of the next 9 points. A Westman kill made it 15-7 and forced Harvard (1-1) t ake a timeout.

Wauconda raced to a 6-0 lead in the second game, thanks in part to pair of aces from senior Becky Breakfield. Breakfield finished with 3 aces and her jump serve frustrated Harvard throughout the match.

Harvard closed the deficit later in the game but never seriously threatened. The Bulldogs' defense and block kept several points alive and prevented Harvard from going on a sustained run.

Senior Lauren Mead led the way with a match-high 7 kills and Breakfield added 5 kills. Junior Stephanie Olson and Westman contributed 3 and 2 blocks, respectively. Walternburg had 16 assists, while Breakfield and senior Lisa Aguilar each came through with 7 digs.

Waltenburg added 2 kills when she hit second balls over the net.

"I really enjoy having her as a setter," Breakfield said. "She sets us up really well."

Wauconda's only defeats this season have come in three-game decisions against Crystal Lake Central and DeKalb. Over the weekend, the Bulldogs went 4-1 and placed first at the Grayslake Central Ram Slam.

"This is the deepest, strongest team that we've had since I've been here," Grandt said. "If we can improve and figure out a few things, we're hoping to be real successful."

Mead said the tone for the season was set well before the first day of practice.

"We committed in the summer to go to open gyms and make the summer camps," she said. "We have so much depth and we're really getting along together as a team."