Hersey meets Prospect's challenge
Hersey, the 12-time defending Mid-Suburban East girls volleyball champion, faced its toughest test yet in conference play against Prospect on Tuesday night.
The two teams came into the match undefeated in the East and the Huskies (14-5, 5-0) passed their exam with a 25-13, 17-25, 25-22 victory over the visiting Knights (14-5, 4-1) at the Ken Carter Gymnasium.
"It was a great high school volleyball match," said Hersey coach Nancy Lill, who guided the Huskies to their 22nd straight East triumph. " Give Prospect credit. This is one of the best teams they've had in a long time. They're definitely a formidable opponent in the East, so we respect them. I'm happy about the win, and it was a huge win for this team. We're a really young group. Wins like this are going to help us mature faster and faster, so it's a good experience."
Senior outside hitter Liz Fuerst led Hersey with 15 kills and senior middle blocker Katie Rozanski recorded 12. Sophomore setter and right side hitter Emma Strozewski and junior setter Maggie Reisel recorded 21 and 15 assists apiece, while senior setter and right side hitter Gianna Carusiello led the Huskies with 3 aces. Junior defensive specialist Emma Frankiewicz and junior libero Liz Solans had 15 digs apiece while junior middle blocker Zoe Strozewski led the Huskies with 5 blocks.
"Our middles played great," Lill said. "Both were blocking well. Katie Rozanski was on fire offensively. She was really hard to stop and Zoe Strozewski as well defensively with her block. She made so many huge plays up at the net.
"My setters did a nice job. Both Maggie Reisel and Emma Strozewski are really getting hitters the ball. Emma Frankiewicz dug awesome. She was digging everything up and same with Liz Solans."
"I think we all played great this game," Fuerst added. "We all did a great job. Emma Frankiewicz was picking up amazing digs and Maggie Reisel and Emma Strozewski were setting amazingly. I think we just all helped out and finished that game together."
With the score tied at 22 in the third set, Hersey rattled off three consecutive points to win the match, including a kill from Fuerst and a block by Zoe Strozewski and Fuerst.
"Fuerst is one of the top players in the state," Lill said. "She's capable of hitting over just about anybody. She does everything and having her up there on that block is wonderful. And Zoe closed the block as well. So that was a massive block for that game point.
"Fortunately we were able to close it out. I'm proud that my girls hung in there and kept playing hard and finished it off. It could have gone either way and luckily we made the plays at the end."
"Liz's kills and blocks pumped up the rest of the team and gave us the energy we needed to win the game," Zoe Strozewski added.
The Huskies broke a 10-10 tie earlier in the deciding set by recording seven out of the next 10 point.
They gained their largest lead at 17-13, thanks to 2 kills apiece from Rozanski and Fuerst.
Prospect trimmed the deficit to one point on three occasions before tying the score at 22.
Knights junior outside hitter Kaeli Myers recorded 3 kills in that sequence, while junior outside hitter Mary Mazurek, senior setter Michelle Haaning and junior right side hitter Maggie Porwit tallied a kill apiece.
Hersey jumped out to a 5-1 advantage to start the match with a pair of Rozanski kills, a Fuerst kill and an ace from Frankiewicz.
The Huskies still held a 12-8 lead before going on a 4-0 run, including a kill and ace from sophomore outside hitter Amy Morgan and a Fuerst kill for a 16-8 cushion.
Hersey tallied 4 of the next 6 points to grab a double-digit advantage, 20-10, and did not look back from there to win the first set 25-13.
The Knights and Huskies were tied 11 times early in the second set with the final deadlock occurring at 13-13.
Prospect went on a 6-0 run en route to taking the second set, 25-17.
The 6-0 surge included 3 aces from Prospect's senior middle hitter Sammy Withey.
Hersey looks to keep its Mid-Suburban East winning streak alive on Thursday against visiting Rolling Meadows.
The Huskies defeated the Mustangs in the first meeting, 25-22, 25-22. Prospect resumes action on Thursday. at Buffalo Grove. The Knights defeated BG 25-17, 17-25, 25-17 on Sept. 10.