McGee, Redhawks too cool for WW South
Emily McGee coolly listened to the questions coming her way and answered with a senior's composure.
She wasn't fazed by anything Wheaton Warrenville South threw at her, either.
McGee and Naperville Central came back from mild deficits in both games to beat the host Tigers 25-20, 25-20 on Tuesday in the DuPage Valley Conference girls volleyball opener for both teams.
"Our team has been playing together for a long time," said McGee, one of six senior starters who played on last year's state championship team. "That experience helps."
Naperville Central (2-0, 1-0) trailed 15-11 in the second game before a McGee kill and 2 aces tied it at 15-15. Still tied at 19-19, McGee lofted a tip over two WW South blockers then buried 2 kills from the left side to put the Redhawks ahead for good.
"I try to switch things up as much as I can," said McGee, who had a match-high 9 kills and 7 digs. "When I see open space, I take advantage."
In Game 1 Naperville Central trailed 15-14 but rolled off 4 straight points on the strength of Nicole Sarby and Nicole Ramey blocks to grab an 18-15 advantage. The Redhawks never trailed again in the game, scoring the last 3 points on a Sarby kill, Mary Carroll tip over a double block and Carroll kill into the heart of the WW South defense.
"Regardless of the score we never panicked," Redhawks coach Brie Isaacson said. "That's what I was most happy with."
On the other side WW South coach Bill Schreier thought his girls might have tensed up some when they got leads midway through both games.
"We were being aggressive," he said, "but then I thought we got a little passive there in both games. Against good teams you can't do that."
Megan Bray had 4 kills and 6 digs, Sarby 4 kills and Carroll 3 kills. Kelsey Hoey added 3 aces and 2 blocks for Naperville Central. The Redhawks, who hadn't played in a week after a three-game win over Downers Grove North in their first match of the season, shook off some erratic hitting early and looked sharper as the night progressed.
"Right now I'm OK with aggressive mistakes as long as we are putting ourselves in the right positions. I like that the girls are being aggressive," Isaacson said. "They pulled together at the right time and took care of the ball when they needed to."
Amy Drabant had 7 kills and 4 digs, Jaclyn Wolfe 15 assists, Jessica Dattalo 9 digs and 3 aces and Monika Stanciauskus 4 kills and 3 blocks for WW South (4-3, 0-1). Dayana Rodriguez, back in the lineup after missing the first week with shin splints, had 6 digs.
"To be in this and have a shot at both games, I'm pleased," Schreier said of his young Tigers. "I'm not content but pleased. No matter how you slice it, we're young. But at some point you have to get older."
- Joshua Welge
Benet d. St. Charles North: Ranked No. 1 in the Daily Herald coverage area and No. 5 in the nation by ESPN, Benet's volleyball team is used to getting its opponent's best shot.
St. Charles North felt it missed its opportunity Tuesday night in St. Charles.
The Redwings rolled over the North Stars 25-12, 25-10 in about 45 minutes. Benet scored the first five points and never looked back.
"We came out energerized and we played to our level," said Benet's 6-foot-1, Illinois-bound senior Jessica Jendryk.
The Redwings certainly made an impression on St. Charles North coach Lindsay Trudell.
"Benet is a pretty well-rounded team and in my opinion will be a contender for the state championship. I firmly believe that."
Just as firmly as Trudell believed her team didn't play to its potential.
"No, certainly not," Trudell said. "I know we are capable of playing much better than that. I am waiting to see it because we practice a lot harder than we play. We serve to each other in practice as tough as Benet did."
Benet (7-0) has only been pushed to three games once, by Hinsdale Central. They never trailed Tuesday, with just two ties early in Game 2.
"We've just focused on our next match," Benet coach Brad Baker said. "We're not focused on what or national ranking is. The teams we play so far have been extremely fired up to play us. We know there's a bull's-eye on our back. To us that's good."
Libero Paige Vargas started the match with an ace while serving the first five points.
Jendryk pounded 4 kills in Game 1 on sets from Brianne Hucek.
"I can trust her to put the ball away," Hucek said. "She's definitely been good for us. We played all right but we definitely can improve."
Game 2 played out much like the first, with Trudell going to her bench early trying to find a combination that clicked. The North Stars forged the only two ties at 1-1 and 2-2 before Ariana Mankus's seven-point service run opened up a 9-3 lead.
"We started strong and continued to play," Baker said. "I thought we communicated well the entire match."
- John Lemon
Geneva d. Glenbard South: At the start of the season, Geneva coach KC Johnsen said junior Lauren Wicinski made tremendous improvements in the off-season.
Johnsen wasn't lying. Already, the 6-foot-1 outside hitter is close to tallying 100 kills through 7 matches. She added 15 more in the Vikings' 25-21, 25-15 win over Glenbard South in the first Western Sun Conference match of the season for both teams in Glen Ellyn.
"Lauren has really become a complete player," Johnsen said of Wicinski, who also added 7 digs. "Growing a couple inches, jumping a little higher and hitting a little harder makes a difference. She was at a pretty good level before, but she has so much experience playing. She's really prepared."
Wicinski made her presence known in Game 1 with 7 kills. There were 4 early ties before Geneva (6-1, 1-0) scored 7 consecutive points behind Taylor Whitley's serving, Raider errors and a block kill from Augustine. The rally was stopped at 20-13 on a Geneva error.
Glenbard South (3-4, 0-1), however, made a comeback. It began with the Vikings leading 23-16, followed by the Raiders scoring the next 5 points, thanks to Geneva errors, a Laura Moran kill, Nevena Markovic block and the serving of Kim Schwerdmann.
"(Glenbard South) always makes it tough, they always make it hard to win in this gym," Johnsen said. "Somehow they make it a tough battle."
Geneva was left with a 23-21 lead, only to score the final two points on a Glenbard South error and a Wicinski kill.
"We are definitely a comeback team," Wicinski said.
In Game 2 Glenbard South led early, only to have Geneva turn the 7-5 Raiders lead into a 14-7 Vikings lead after they scored 9 straight points on Katie Sommer's serving, kills from Augustine and Whitley and Glenbard South errors.
The rally was cut short on an Amanda Fisch kill, but by then the Vikings led 14-8. Glenbard South never recovered, and the match ended on Sommer's kill.
"We were pretty ready for Geneva. We saw them this weekend and we knew what they were going to do," Glenbard South coach Sherry Hudson said. "Right now, we just lack heart."
- Christine Bolin
Boys soccer
Glenbard North 2, West Chicago 1: The visiting Panthers proved that a strong finish can sometimes offset a sub par beginning.
In a DuPage Valley Conference opener at West Chicago, Glenbard North (3-2-1) did not attempt a single shot for more than 32 minutes of play. The host Wildcats, meanwhile, scored on a penalty kick by Aldair Vega for a 1-0 lead with 18:30 left in the opening half and continued to press the Panthers throughout the half.
But the Panthers tallied twice following long free kicks, the last of which came when Bryan Noval knocked home the game-winner off a rebound with just 1:51 left to play. Kyle Flores had tied the game 1-1 with 14:04 left to play on a similar play.
"They were dominating us but we put in hard work and heart and got the win," said Noval, who controlled the rebound and pushed the winning shot over Wildcats keeper Adrian Porcayo, who made 5 saves in the game. "I just told the guys to keep playing hard and move the ball and something would happen for us."
Early on little happened for the Panthers, as the 'Cats had 7 shots on goal in the first half compared to 2 for the visitors. But after West Chicago struck the crossbar a couple times and Glenbard North goalkeeper Jack Dailly recorded a pair of tough saves, the momentum started to shift toward the Panthers.
"We lost momentum in the second half, no question about it," West Chicago coach Steve Brugmann said. "We need to stay consistent and not be frustrated when you hit the crossbar or the keeper makes some nice saves."
"West Chicago is an exceptionally tough team to play," Panthers coach Greg Chrisman said. "Last year they beat us 4-0 and this year we tried to be a little more prepared and we tried to match their intensity."
- Stan Goff
Naperville North 4, Glenbard East 0: Through 28 minutes Glenbard East fought to keep visiting Naperville North and its steady possession game out of net.
One Andrew Menendez penalty kick later, the DuPage Valley Conference opener between the Huskies and Rams evolved into a 3-0 Huskies lead before halftime.
Ediz Yorulmazoglu scored twice before the break, and Menendez added a second-half free kick goal in a 4-0 Huskies win in Lombard.
"They defended well in that first 30 minutes, and I think that first goal sort of led to more," Menendez said. "But they're a good quality team, and we got some lucky goals."
"We moved the ball around pretty well, guys played their positions, and we had some trouble solving their back four," said Huskies coach Jim Konrad. "They were exceptional. But when you put pressure on like that, eventually something's going to break through."
Menendez and Chris Boswell spearheaded the Huskies' midfield play, while Sean Kuehne, Mike Hogan, Riley Breese and Brett Cowen stood tall in back.
The Huskies (4-2, 1-0) earned an 8-2 edge in shots on net through 40 minutes, 11-4 for the game, and a 20-9 edge in shots taken overall.
The Rams (2-3-2, 0-1) showed flashes of feisty play in the attack that only lacked a final link to a dangerous shot. Afterward, Rams coach Josh Adler was happier with his squad's offensive mindset after the break.
"I loved watching our second half," Adler said. "We only gave up a goal, and we attacked and fought. But our guys are learning that early in a contest, you really need to set a tone for the rest of the game."
The Rams' back four of Victor Grande, Nick Roth, Sean Little and Ben Arellano have been steady all season in front of a big, aggressive goalkeeper in Elia Mrakovich, and that steady play will have to continue as the attack develops.
"The guys in back are solid. Our next challenge is getting the midfield sorted out, and we've got to put more opportunities on frame," said Adler, who got scrappy play in the attack from Dan Gonzalez and Roger Samayoa.
Devon Moon and Mike Wiest had a pair of saves each in splitting time in net for the Huskies, who again look primed to compete with any team in Illinois.
"We had two rough losses against Hinsdale Central and Neuqua, and we've got a lot to work on, but I think we'll be good this year," Menendez said.
"We're not there yet, but I think we have the pieces to make a run."
- Gary Larsen