Girls volleyball: Crystal Lake Central knocks off defending FVC champion Huntley

HUNTLEY – Crystal Lake Central’s Alexis Hadeler shuffled between varsity and JV teams last year.

The junior outside hitter is now a regular for the Tigers, and she made her presence known in a big way Tuesday.

Hadeler came up with perhaps the biggest play of her high school career against defending Fox Valley Conference champion Huntley, timing her jump perfectly and blocking 6-foot-3 Georgia Watson at the net to bring the Tigers within one point of an upset.

The Raiders sent the next point wide, and the Tigers celebrated a 25-23, 27-25 win to open their FVC schedule. Central (2-0, 1-0 FVC) had lost its previous four matches against Huntley (1-1, 0-1), with its last victory Sept. 23, 2021.

Hadeler’s big block against Watson, a Kentucky commit who had a match-leading 16 kills, brought the entire Tigers bench to its feet.

“It felt really good,” said Hadeler, who had six digs, four kills and the one block. “I obviously got [beaten] by her many times throughout the game, so it was really good to finally be able to block her and actually get a point off of it.

“We haven’t beaten them in a very long time. It took a lot of effort. They’re a really good team with a lot of good players. It just feels good to finally beat them.”

Central, which finished runner-up to Huntley last season in the FVC, was on the verge of going to a third set and trailed 21-18 following a dump kill from Huntley setter Emily Ernst. The Raiders then built their lead to 24-23, but a kill by Tigers senior Becca Kuehn (eight assists, three kills, four digs) kept the set alive.

Central went up 25-24 on a double hit by Huntley, but the Raiders tied the match on a kill from Diellza Sejdini that danced on the net until falling in for a point. Hadeler then came up with her key block, and the Tigers won the match when Watson’s tip went wide.

“Huntley is such a powerhouse, and they’ve been a powerhouse for years and years,” Tigers coach Amy Johnson said. “To get a victory against them in two [sets] especially is amazing. You can’t ask for more from our kids tonight. I was proud of how we executed.

“We’re inexperienced in some positions, but then we have our core of experienced players, and I think they stepped up tonight and kept us cool, calm and collected during those really intense moments. The game could have ended a couple of times on some crazy plays and we didn’t lose focus, especially that swipe at the net at 25-24.”

Senior outside hitter Mykaela Wallen, who posted 315 kills last year, led the Tigers with six kills, 15 digs and three aces. Junior middle blocker Emily Mazza posted one block and four aces. During the second set, Mazza served six straight points that helped cut into a 15-9 deficit.

“This means so much to us,” Mazza said. “This has been one of our goals for awhile. ... Every time I go back to serve, especially when we were down, I know that’s my job. I’ve got to do my job and make my serves count. I really try and focus on all aspects of my game.”

Tuesday’s was only the second loss in FVC play for the Raiders since the start of 2022. Huntley went 17-1 last season and 18-0 the year before.

Watson led Huntley with 16 kills, middle blocker Jocelyn Erling posted four kills and four blocks, and Mari Rodriguez tallied 11 digs. Abby Whitehouse had 12 assists, Sejdini had four kills and Alex Goritz added eight digs.

Raiders coach Karen Naymola felt her team didn’t play up to its typical standard. But she fully expects her players to bounce back.

“For us, that’s the worst we’ve played all summer,” Naymola said. “Now it’s a learning experience. If that’s not the fuel that fires you the rest of the conference, then I don’t know what is. And I do think we’re going to come back even stronger from it.”