Rams battle Trojans tough in C-G win

With four-year standouts Lauren Lamberti and Lauren McLaughlin now displaying their talents at the collegiate level, Cary-Grove coach Patty Langanis isn't sure where the production will come from this season.

The veteran coach got a better idea Thursday night.

Allison Straumann collected 13 kills, while Danielle Smith and freshman Kelly Lamberti delivered 8 kills each as the Trojans held off pesky Grayslake Central 25-14, 24-26, 25-15 in a Fox Valley Conference crossover game in Cary Thursday night.

It was the season opener for both teams.

"With the Laurens gone we are a completely different team," Langanis said. "We can count on five different hitters. We are a very aggressive team that wants to swing hard 100 percent of the time. We need to learn to hold back."

The Trojans came out the aggressor in Game 1. With Smith producing 3 kills off 2 sets from Abbey Heredia along with 2 kills from Straumann, the Trojans blasted to an 11-4 advantage.

Leading most of the game, the Trojans scored the final 5 points, including 2 kills from Breanna Smith, to capture Game 1.

The Rams battled back in Game 2. Led by Anna Dlesk's 2 kills, they jumped out to a 12-6 lead.

The Trojans whittled away and tied the game at 21-21 on a kill by Straumann.

The Trojans took a 24-21 lead, but the Rams roared back and scored the final 5 points -- capped by a kill from Tory Dohm -- to win Game 2.

In the deciding third game, the Trojans grabbed a 12-3 lead, including a kill by senior outside hitter Danielle Smith.

The Trojans' biggest lead was 19-6 after a kill by Heredia.

"We will certainly miss the Laurens, but we have a lot of depth," Smith said. "We can rely on a lot of players in our offense. It is time for our seniors to step up. The team chemistry on this team is great."

Dlesk, Brianna Anderson, Dohm and Shannon Curtis (2 aces) each collected 3 kills for the Rams.

"We have a new attitude on this team this season," said Grayslake Central coach Jason Janczak. "We made a statement tonight. Our defensive philosophy was that nothing drops. We had a great summer and came out fired up tonight. We weren't used to being in a third game against a top-notch team. We were a little star-struck in the third game."