Girls volleyball: Lilly's return helps St. Charles North edge St. Charles East
It wasn't that long ago Grace Lilly wondered if she might miss her senior season playing volleyball at St. Charles North.
In June Lilly fractured her back right before her national tournament for club. She took eight weeks letting her L5 vertebrae heal, missing the start of the high school season.
Lilly gradually got back on the court for the North Stars, and she delivered in a big way in front of a packed St. Charles North gym Tuesday putting away 10 kills in a hard-fought 25-22, 19-25, 25-20 win over rival St. Charles East.
"I just had to take my rest off and do everything the doctor said," Lilly said. "If it starts to hurt I know I need to take a break. Every once in awhile I'll feel a hit in practice and think 'It's coming back to me.'
"It's definitely a little nervous but I just know I have to do my best and if anything happens just get back to it."
North Stars coach Lindsey Hawkins estimated Lilly is at about 75 percent. St. Charles North (16-4, 3-0 in the DuKane Conference) needed each and every one of Lilly's kills to hold off a scrappy St. Charles East (9-5, 1-2) squad.
"They moved us around on defense a lot," Hawkins said. "(Saints setter) McKenna (Slavik) does that all the time with her range and her ability to dump so well. But even their outsides were doing a fantastic job of moving our outsides and making them play defense and using the line."
The North Stars won the first set despite missing 7 serves. They took the lead for good at 14-13 on a kill from Katie Lanz that started a 5-2 run.
Slavik pulled the Saints within 19-18 with a quick tip before the North Stars surged again, sealing the win on a big swing from Lilly.
Lilly also caught fire in the middle of the second set with three straight kills to help the North Stars erase a 14-9 deficit and pull even at 15-15.
The Saints answered with 7 straight points to take a 22-15 lead. Slavik served 6 of those points including an ace before Calli Gentry closed the set with a kill.
After starting slow in the first two sets, the North Stars hit St. Charles East with a 5-0 spree to open the third. The Saints never caught up, falling behind 18-12 on one of the best points of the night - a sprawling dig in the back from GiGi Crescenzo that eventually led to Lilly's kill.
Down 24-18, the Saints fought off two match points including a kill from Rachel Sheehan before Crescenzo hit off the Saints block for a winner.
"I just think it's the team that works the hardest will end up winning (a third set) and that's what happened tonight," Lilly said.
Crescenzo (6 kills, 10 digs), Lanz (11 kills, 8 assists), Maddie Gorniak (6 digs) and Kyla Lannert (6 kills, 3 aces, 20 assists) joined Lilly in having big games for the North Stars.
Saints coach Jennie Kull was quite encouraged by what she saw from her team as they get ready for a busy week that includes the Mother McAuley tournament this weekend.
Despite injuries to their middle, right side and libero, the Saints fought with Gentry, Samantha Urban and Kirsten Rogers all finishing with at least 6 kills.
"It was a battle," Kull said. "I feel proud my kids are getting in a system again. We've just changed our whole lineup. To come in here and battle like they did, I'm so pleased. This is the best I've seen them work together."