Girls volleyball: Crystal Lake South knocks off Cary-Grove
When Crystal Lake South couldn't put away Cary-Grove in the second set after winning the first, the Gators had the recent success of the spring season to fall back on.
"They turned it on and kind of rode that wave at the end of the spring, but throughout it, they needed to be able to move on from mistakes quicker," Gators coach Jorie Fontana said. "That's what I saw tonight. I think when we get into sync a little better, we're going to be a really fun offensive team to watch. I knew mentally, we had to work on being a tougher team."
The Gators rebounded nicely after dropping the second set, going on an 11-2 run about midway through the third and defeating the Trojans, 25-16, 16-25, 25-17, Thursday in their Fox Valley Conference match Monday at the Swamp.
Senior outside hitter Jessie Proszenyak provided the final kill for the Gators, who moved to 2-0 overall and 2-0 in the FVC. South swept Jacobs in its conference and season opener on Tuesday.
"I think our energy really got us going," said Proszenyak, who had a team-high eight kills. "Once we got one point, we kind of fed off that energy and we fed off each other. Honestly, it's so much fun playing with these girls. This gym is my favorite environment to play in. We have the best fans and these girls are my absolute best friends."
Trailing 10-9 in the third, the Gators took their first lead of the set on a kill by Megan Langdon and a missed kill attempt by the Trojans. Junior setter Emma Stowasser had an ace and kill to push South's lead to 13-10. The Gators then went on to score seven of the next nine points for a 20-12 lead.
C-G (1-1, 1-1) would not get any closer than six points the rest of the way. South ended the match strong at the service line with 12 aces, including five in the third.
Fontana credited Proszenyak for helping calm everyone down after the Gators lost the second set and found itself trailing in the third.
"Her composure and ability to keep the team consistent and come back when things are going array was huge," Fontana said. "She's a very smart and adjusted hitter and she just finds those areas in the court. I think Jessie did a real nice job."
South went 7-6 overall in the spring and only went 4-5 in the FVC regular season. But the Gators won four of their final five matches and advanced all the way to the FVC Tournament final where they lost to Crystal Lake Central, the undefeated conference champions.
South only lost one starter from the spring and has great familiarity on and off the court.
"It's exciting to get everybody back," said Stowasser, who tallied 17 assists and two aces. "We all work very well together and we all have really good connections. We didn't have to restart much. We're definitely just building from the spring."
Sophomore Gabby Wire tied Prosenzyak with a team-high eight kills, along with three aces. Libero Alyssa Zagroba had 20 digs and three aces, Langdon had three kills and two blocks and Morgan Jones collected three aces.
Cary-Grove was led offensively by junior right-side hitter Tricia Kennedy, who had eight kills and four blocks. Mya Bajramovic posted six kills, Alexis Koenig added 17 digs and Nicole Novak led both team with four aces. Both new to the setter position this year, Isabelle Strader tallied nine assists and Skyler DeSomer had seven.
Trojans coach Patty Langanis said South's aggressive serving in the third was a big determining factor. C-G looked its crispest during the second set, when Kennedy had six kills and two blocks.
"We were in system a lot more in the second set," Langanis said. "I think that helped our offense develop. Our hitters were having a lot of opportunities to do different things and place balls. Third set, South served really aggressive and we were out of system. We were in a panic mode just to stay alive. They were serving bullets and doing what they needed to do."