LZ impresses in playoff opener
Kiley McPeek and Mallory Parsons each pounded 7 kills, and Lake Zurich’s girls volleyball team cruised in its state tournament opener Tuesday night.
The Bears, the top seed in the Class 4A Conant sectional complex, defeated No. 16 Prospect 25-12, 25-12 at Highland Park to advance to Thursday’s 6 p.m. regional final against No. 9 Barrington, which beat No. 8 St. Viator 29-27, 25-21.
McPeek also served 4 aces, and Marta Tabaka delivered 3 for Lake Zurich (32-4). Bears setter Kristen Walding dished out 22 assists, while also posting 4 blocks and 2 kills. Mikenzie Andrews chipped in 3 blocks and 2 kills, Allie McIlwain had 5 kills and Sydney Glover slammed 3 kills. Ashley Dina’s defensive effort included 11 digs.
Warren d. Zion-Benton: At McHenry, Jenna Walczak’s 8 kills, 8 digs and 2 aces helped the Blue Devils capture a 25-17, 25-18 win over the fifth-seeded Zee-Bees in the Class 4A regional semifinal.
Warren, the top seed in the regional, will face No. 2 McHenry, at 7 p.m. Thursday in the regional final. McHenry dispatched No. 6 Round Lake 25-13, 25-18.
Allyson Mitchell added 5 kills for Warren, while Rachel Ziegler lofted 10 assists. Other Blue Devils who contributed to the win included Lauren Frericks (6 assists, 4 digs), Lindsey Biedron (2 blocks, 4 digs) and Kim Hengesh (8 digs, 2 kills).
Vernon Hills d. Guerin: At Vernon Hills, Dana Meline had 6 kills to help lead the third-seeded Cougars to a 25-16, 25-20 win over the No. 2 seed.
Vernon Hills (8-27) also received 4 kills apiece from Tori Smith and Kasey Firnbach. Firnbach and Jade Goldufsky served 5 and 4 aces, respectively. Smith was 56-of-56 setting with 12 assists, as the Cougars advanced to play top-seeded Regina Dominican in Thursday’s 6 p.m. regional final.
Carmel d. Lake Forest: At Carmel, the Corsairs, the No. 2 seed in the Conant sectional complex, held off the 15th-seeded Scouts 26-24, 25-23 to reach the 30-win mark.
Carmel (30-7) will play No. 7 Glenbrook South at 6 p.m. Thursday for the regional championship.