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Girls volleyball: Crystal Lake South tops Huntley

Crystal Lake South trailed by six points late in the second set against defending Fox Valley Conference champion Huntley and the match looked likely headed for a third.

With Huntley leading, 22-16, Gators coach Jorie Fontana called a timeout and rallied her team one last time.

"She told us, 'You have to want it,'" senior outside hitter Sam Wesoly said. "We needed to have more energy on the court and talk to each other because we weren't really talking at that point. Basically, give it everything you have and just put the ball down."

The Gators came out of the timeout with more life and staved off three set points, sweeping the Red Raiders, 25-17, 28-26, on Thursday at the Swamp - ending a two-game skid and handing Huntley its first conference loss of the season.

Freshman outside hitter Morgan Jones provided the final point for the Gators, tipping the ball over the net as the Raiders could not gain control of the ball. South's bench rushed the court after securing the win, the first against Huntley for many current Gators.

"It felt so amazing. We've never beaten Huntley [in my three years on varsity]," said Wesoly, who recorded a match-leading seven kills. "Everyone gave so much energy at the end and gave it everything they had. We worked so hard in practice to get this win. We wanted it so bad."

A three-set loss to Cary-Grove earlier in the week gave the Gators (2-2, 2-2 FVC) a bit of motivation in their match against Huntley (4-2, 3-1), Fontana said. On Tuesday, South had multiple match-point chances in an eventual 20-25, 30-28, 25-15 loss to C-G.

"We've been up, we've been down, and we've had to learn through those experiences," Fontana said of the early part of the season. "Being at match point a few times [against C-G], I think the girls learned from that. They learned how to fight back ... and what it takes to come out on top. They remembered what it felt like."

Sophomore setter Emma Stowasser recorded 15 assists, two kills and a pair of aces for the Gators. She also was the starting setter in the preceding JV match because the regular JV setter was out. Jessie Proszenyak had three aces, Jones had two kills and two blocks, and Megan Langdon added three blocks and a kill.

Stowasser said the Gators never felt out of Thursday's match.

"I think our hitters were playing smart and our passing was amazing," Stowasser said. "They made it really easy for me to spread the ball out. And I was so proud of [Jones] for the last point. She was amazing the entire game, and I'm really glad she got to win it for us. I think we can beat anybody if we play the way we did tonight. It felt really good."

Emma Konie led Huntley with seven kills, Avary DeBlieck and Ally Panzloff each had three kills, Luma Acevedo added 12 digs, and Maggie Duyos finished with 16 assists. Huntley recorded six service errors and three aces.

Huntley was coming off an exciting three-set win against Barrington the night before, but didn't play with the same emotion and energy against the Gators, Raiders coach Karen Naymola said.

"Even with a four- or five-point lead, we weren't playing comfortable or aggressive," Naymola said. "We made six service errors, we weren't in the right spot on defense, and we made poor decisions on offense. When our serve receive is on, our middle, [DeBlieck], is unstoppable I think we only got her the ball three times tonight. In a short season, three games in a row, it's tough. But we did not come out ready to play."

Fontana can see her team gaining confidence little by little.

"It's all about confidence and they see they can accomplish really great things," Fontana said. "Huntley is a fantastic team and program. I think this win is going to give them an extra boost for the rest of conference."

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