Girls volleyball: Crystal Lake South continues strong start
With a new coach and five new starters, a slow start to the season for Crystal Lake South wouldn't have been out of the question.
So far, the Gators haven't missed a beat.
After winning its home opener against Jacobs earlier in the week, South made it two wins in a row with a 25-17, 25-15 win against Cary-Grove in the teams' Fox Valley Conference match on Thursday.
South first-year coach Annie Moore has been impressed by her team's quick start to the season. The Gators returned just two starters and graduated a big senior class that led them to conference and Class 3A regional titles in a banner year.
"I'm on a high for sure," said Moore, a 2014 Crystal Lake Central graduate. "I'm so proud of them, but I can't take credit for much of it. They put in such hard work. ... Coming out on Tuesday, you couldn't tell there were five new players.
"I was expecting a lot more nerves than they've showed so far. They're definitely performing under the pressure."
South (2-0 overall, 2-0 FVC) fell behind the Trojans (1-2, 0-2) in both the first and second sets but never wavered. Senior setter Emma Stowasser led a balanced offense for the Gators, finishing the match with 19 assists, five kills and two aces.
Stowasser, along with junior outside hitter Gabby Wire, a Wisconsin-Milwaukee commit, are the only returning starters for South. Stowasser is coming back from a knee injury that sidelined her most of her junior year.
"The team is very similar in where we have our strengths, so I think we're just trying to keep the same attitude we had [last year]," Stowasser said. "We are a really young team, and I think we're all still learning to connect together. We've done really well so far, and I think it's going to be an exciting season."
Wire, who had 12 kills in the opening-season win against Jacobs, tied for the Gators lead with six kills, 17 digs and four aces. Sophomore Morgan Johnson also had six kills while adding nine digs and two aces. Olivia Christopher (two aces) and Bella Toniolo had three kills apiece, and Kaitlyn Brandt added six digs.
Moore has been impressed by the play of Johnson, who is playing a new position at outside hitter after playing mostly middle blocker during club season. Johnson also isn't used to playing all six rotations, but she has been a big fan of it.
"She's played huge for us and come up with some big points," Moore said. "I'm super proud of her, and I'm happy to have her for three years."
Johnson has had a lot of fun so far.
"Our chemistry is amazing," Johnson said. "We spent pretty much all summer together.
After each play, whether we get the point or not, we all come to the middle and we all talk about we need to fix."
The Trojans were led offensively by senior middle blocker Tricia Kennedy with four kills and two blocks. Libero Lucy Wittenberg had eight digs to lead the defense.
The Trojans struggled in serve receive most of the match Thursday, with South tallying 11 aces. C-G has also been without its top setter, senior Isabelle Strader, for the first two matches, which has led to some inconsistent play on offense.
Cary-Grove coach Patty Langanis would like to see her team offer better support to the newcomers.
"We're putting so much pressure on two kids that have never set varsity, but they're making strides daily, which we're really proud of," Langanis said. "I thought our team didn't support them well enough. I thought Emma Stowasser did a great job of running a dynamic offense [for South], and it was tough to get a ball on the floor."