Girls volleyball: Stevenson hands Libertyville 1st NSC loss
It was loud in the Stevenson gym Wednesday night.
Libertyville and its undefeated conference record was in town, and it was Stevenson's final home game of the season. The freshman volleyball game was going on at the same time as varsity's, and whistles and cheers echoed from one court to another.
The white and yellow screen, dividing the courts was, in fact, not soundproof. The only thing it was good for was stopping the ball that Stevenson rocketed past the Libertyville team from rolling into the other match going on.
Not surprisingly, it got louder when Stevenson rattled off five points in a row to start the match. Not surprisingly, it got louder when Stevenson ultimately put away Libertyville in 25-22, 21-25, 25-20 to win its final home match of the year.
Sophomore outside hitter Ava Wysocki lit the fire with a kill on the first point and then with a lucky bounce off the fingertips of Libertyville's blockers. The third point was a bounce off the net from captain Mija Jegers' serve, and the fourth and fifth points were unforced errors committed by Libertyville (27-8, 6-1). Two more points went by, and the lead was still five at 6-1.
The bounces were just going the Patriots' way.
But then the game caught up with the noise. Very quickly, it all became an overstimulation of volleyball for the next 20 points. Libertyville charged back, took the lead at 12-11 but lost it at 15-14, and the lead never got to more than four, and it ended at three with Stevenson (24-10, 5-2) on top.
"I think it's always great to get that first, obviously," said Stevenson coach Tim Crow. "You have a little less pressure on you in the second set."
And yet Libertyville managed to keep the Patriots quiet. For a little bit.
The Wildcats copied the Patriots with their own 6-1 run to start the set, but then Stevenson mirrored Libertyville's comeback by taking the lead at 14-13. Back and forth. Libertyville to Stevenson. Stevenson to Libertyville. Libertyville stuck.
They won the second 25-21. To one final calamitous set the match went.
It started the same way the first did, with a Wysocki kill, but this time, neither team would go on a 6-1 run. That would have been too sane.
From 3-3, the set was tied at every digit up to 7-7. But then Stevenson started to pry open the lid off of this match. Two-point lead. Three-point lead. Four, and then five. Stevenson had broken Libertyville. The Patriots won the set, won the match, and snapped Stevenson's undefeated conference streak.
It wasn't necessarily relevant for the standings, as Libertyville had already clinched the North Suburban regular season title, but it still felt good.
"It's our rival," Crow said, "[and] our last home game on our home floor, so we want to continue winning and getting better and playing great teams like they are at the end of the season to get ready for the playoffs."
Yes, it was loud in the gym, and yes, Libertyville came into Stevenson already touting its conference title, but Stevenson rose above. Their play was just too loud.