Sommers’ hot streak serves Buffalo Grove well
Buffalo Grove junior Katelyn Sommers loves serving.
She sure aced that role in Monday night’s play-in test of the Class AA Buffalo Grove regional.
Sommers enjoyed the longest serving streak of her varsity career, registering 13 straight points to close out Game 1 of the No. 11-seeded Bison’s 25-4, 25-7 victory over No. 21 Deerfield (4-26).
BG (17-18) will face No. 6 Hersey (22-13) in today’s 7 p.m. semifinal.
Bison junior setter Marie Georgoulis (5 aces) got her team rolling early by serving for the match’s first 7 points.
It was 11-4 when the 5-foot-9 Sommers stepped to the line and became the final server of Game 1.
“At the beginning, I was just trying to get them in,” said Sommers, who was credited with 3 aces during her big streak. “Then I was really going after them because I had nothing to lose.
“I love serving because it’s a way to pump up everyone up on the team by getting an ace.”
Sommers also served for 2 more points in Game 2 giving her a streak of 15 in a row.
“It was amazing to see,” said BG coach Matt Priban. “It’s always great when you can get good serving.”
Meghan Chartier (1 ace) also had a long service run in Game 2, connecting on 10 in a row to give BG a 19-4 lead.
“They definitely served very well,” said Deerfield coach Eugene Chung. “And we didn’t do a very good job answering those serves.
“Ball control is obviously where the offense starts and that’s where we struggled. We’re a young team (two juniors and two sophomores start) and we’re working toward the future.”
The Bison attack was led by Alaina Murphy (9 kills, 9 digs), Alicia Kantor (6) and Sarah Rivera (6).
Georgoulis handed out 19 assists.
“We just wanted to take care of business,” Georgoulis said. “Now we have to come out strong (against Hersey on Tuesday). And we have to play well as a team like we did in this match.”
“This was a good momentum-builder for us,” said Priban, whose team defeated Hersey in three sets Saturday at the Lake Park Invite and lost to the Huskies twice during Mid-Suburban East play. “We have a tough battle (today). We are seeing them for the fourth time. We have to play consistently.”