Girls volleyball: Lynch sisters carrying on family tradition at St. Viator

When it comes to the Leazer and Lynch cousins, high school volleyball has been a family affair at St. Viator High School.

First, it was Emily Leazer bringing her wicked serve to the Lions program as a freshman in 2007. Then her sister Carrie starred as a libero before graduating in 2019.

That was the same year Mary Grace Lynch joined the program as a freshman.

And now in 2022, it's freshman Erin Lynch joining her sister Mary Grace, now a senior setter, on coach Charlie Curtin's 16th team at Viator.

So suffice it to say, the Lynchs knew quite a bit about the Lions' tradition of success under Curtin.

“I've been coming to these matches for as long as I can remember,” Mary Grace said. “I remember when I was in seventh grade (Our Lady of the Wayside in Arlington Heights) and they went to state. I got to skip school. It was so crazy.”

Mary Grace said she was destined to play volleyball.

“My whole family has always played volleyball,” she said. “So it was something I wanted to do. My mom played basketball in high school and at Marquette.”

Emily and Carrie were East Suburban Catholic all-conference standouts for Curtin.

“Watching them play at such a high level and seeing how successful they were definitely made me want to play,” Mary Grace said.

Like Emily Leazer, Mary Grace is also an outside hitter. Carrie Leazer was a libero. So Mary Grace completes the cycle by serving as the only setter among the cousins, whose mothers are sisters.

“I knew I was going to be short so being a setter seemed like a good choice,” Mary Grace said with a laugh. “Getting to set this year for a team that won a sectional last year is the highlight of my career.”

Not to mention getting to play with her sister for one season.

And they've already shown an impressive connection on the floor.

Mary Grace has had a number of assists to her sister, including a handful when Erin put down a career-high 8 kills against Rolling Meadows last week.

“It's just crazy to be able to play with my sister and all these players who were on the sectional champion team last year,” Erin said. “This is so fun. Being able to do this with the seniors and my sister for one season is so exciting.”

The Leazers, including middle sister Maggie who starred in soccer, attended St. Raymond in Mt. Prospect.

“I loved watching my cousins,” Erin said. “That's kind of how I got into it. It just looked like so much fun. Volleyball is such a competitive sport and I'd see them having so much fun and working with their teammates.”

Now Erin is having the same fun, and with the unique position of playing with her sister.

”I was really hoping I could make it at tryouts to have this one season,” Erin said. “It's so exciting. It's just crazy being able to play with my sister now and all these players who were on the sectional champion team last year.”

At least three of those players are headed to the collegiate level.

Ella Trieloff, Marcelina Gorny and Reanne Valera are expected to commit to lower DI and or high DII schools according to Curtin.

With a handful of players returning from last year's 33-6 squad, the Lions have high expectations for this fall.

“Absolutely, these girls are bringing it every night,” said Curtin, whose club started out 4-0. “They want to build off last year. Their goal is to get down to Bloomington. They worked very hard in the offseason and are hoping to keep the momentum in our favor from last season.”

Mary Grace Lynch, Valera and Gorny are serving as captains.

“All three played a great part last year and knew what it took to get into this season,” Curtin said. “They've been doing everything we've asked and are ready to go.”

In addition to last year, Viator also won a sectional in 2017 when they it fourth in the Class 3A state tourney.

“The talent coming into the program has been very good,” Curtin said. “We've built it up over the years.”

New sport:

So what does a future Division I women's basketball player do for fun in her final year of high school?

How about trying a new sport, like girls volleyball?

Yes, Carmel senior Jordan Wood is trying competitive volleyball for the first time as a senior.

“She is an incredible athlete and has been heavily recruited for basketball even before starting high school,” said Corsairs girls volleyball coach David Pazely.

Wood helped lead Carmel to the Class 3A state championship last year while also securing her scholarship with Michigan State.

“As a result, she feels she has the freedom to enjoy her senior year and has always wanted to give volleyball a try,” Pazely said. “In just a few training sessions, she put together the skills needed to play as a middle and her impact defensively was immediate.”

Pazely said that in time she will also improve as a hitter while she learns the ins and outs of how to transition and read the game.

”Jordan is more than just a tall athlete, she is a competitor and brings a champion's mindset to everything she does,” added Pazely, who watched Wood produce back-to-back blocks against Libertyville last week. “She's also a great leader and her confidence is something that will elevate this year's squad. Jordan's potential is so high and so is this team's.”

Hawks' flying start:

Hoffman Estate has gotten off to a 6-3 start under fifth-year coach Pat Moran, whose team won its first four matches in two sets.

”So far we are off to a great start,” he said. “Jillian Cuartero, Maya Schmidt and Izzy Troyer have led the way offensively. Our setter Phoebe Kim has been doing an excellent job running the offense and Chloe Cruz is rock-solid in the back-row. It has been a really exciting start to the season and we are excited to keep the momentum going.”

Nifty newcomer:

In her first year as the Hersey coach, Laura Gerber has a first-time varsity player as her libero.

“Elizabeth Avirmed is a great libero and knows the game very well,” Gerber said. “She will be a game-changer for us on defense. We played Maine South last week and their coach complimented her play even though we lost.”

Gerber also said Leah Nawrot is emerging as a strong outside with great potential.

“She can hit a nice variety of shots and is a really strong blocker,” the coach said. “Erin Dela Riva (a returner from last year) is proving to be just as effective as last year,” Gerber added. “She is incredibly fast at getting to the ball and it's great to have her back on the court as a leader.”

Pats third at Scholten Classic:

Playing in its second tourney of the season, Stevenson (8-4) recorded its second third-place finish in a period of a week.

The Pats went 4-1 at the Peggy Scholten Classic at Fremd High School in Palatine last Saturday, topping Naperville North 15-22, 25-22, 26-24 for third and taking champion St. Charles East to three sets in the semifinal.

Coach Tim Crow's Pats got a lot of contributions on the offensive end, led by Mija Jegers (41 kills, 14 aces), Brynn Smith (36 kills, 6 aces), Ava Wysocki (16 kills 8 blocks), Sasha Evenko (11 kills, 6 blocks), Catyla Weisner (10 kills, 12 blocks) and Allison Katnibikov (5 kills, 5 blocks),

”I think the theme so far has been offensive balance this season. In the years past, we would typically have a player who would dominate in the kills category each year (former players such as Amanda Holsen, Sophie Sorenson and Jori Ratke),” Crow said. “We have multiple hitters that our setters can count on to put the ball away.”

Directing the offense were Abby Minin (56 assists, 3 aces) and Rachel Shin (32 assists, 3 aces) while Teagon Ohlwein sparked the defense with 42 digs with 3 aces.