Girls volleyball: Hersey extends MSL East title streak to 19
Hersey girls volleyball P.A. announcer Austin Scott makes it fun between sets with a trivia question.
The Huskies themselves are actually a good trivia answer.
How about this one?
Who has the longest consecutive winning streak for Mid-Suburban League girls volleyball divisional titles?
Yes, it is hall of fame coach Nancy Lill's club which made it 19 in a row this fall.
Hersey (21-2, 9-0) came within one victory of another perfect MSL East campaign after Tuesday's 25-23, 25-20 triumph over visiting Prospect at the Carter Gymnasium.
"We have so much fun together and I think that translates on the court," senior setter Allie Korba, who will play Division I volleyball for Central Michigan.
Korba made it fun for all hitters, handing out 18 assists, including one beauty while off balance.
"What a setter Allie is," Lill said. "What she brings to the court is incredible. Even as she was flying backwards and landing on her back, she punched the ball up for a perfect set (in the second set)."
Hersey trailed by as much as 10-4 in the first set and took its first lead at 20-19 on a block by Alexa Knutson, who had 4 for the match along with 3 kills. Claire Van Den Herik led Hersey with 7 kills, followed by Erin Dela Riva (4), Knutson (30) and Kami Wojtanek with the final two of the match.
Three service points by libero Olivia Mellen gave Hersey a 20-12 lead in Set 2.
"I think our serving, especially in the second set, really threw them off," Korba said. "When we were serving aggressively, they couldn't receive our serves as well and I think that helped us run our offense quickly and efficiently."
"It's a great group," Lill added. "It's been fun and the most important stuff is right around the corner."
On Oct. 28, Hersey will play on the road (at Fremd or Barrington) for the MSL title. The Huskies are top-seeded in the Glenbrook South sectional and could meet No. 8 seed Prospect (14-9, 7-2) for a regional title if both teams win their openers.
"Prospect played a great match," Lill added. "They came out and were just incredible. Their defense was picking up everything. They were swinging, blocking and it kind of set us back on our heels."
Cam Mather had 6 kills for the Knights.
"I'm really proud of the girls," said Knights coach Laura Gerber. "We made some mental mistakes, like missing serves and a couple of shots outside, but I thought our kids played really well.
"Cam Mather played a really smart match and our front row with Kaela Salehzadeh and Julia Wydro did a really nice job blocking, especially in the first game. We're getting there. We are still recovering from injuries so we are continuing to work on it."
And the Huskies worked in one more trivia answer on Tuesday.
Who has the Mid-Suburban League's longest current longest winning streak?
Yep, the girls from Arlington Heights at 18 in a row.