Girls volleyball notes: Huntley coach Karen Naymola earns 500th career victory

Huntley coach Karen Naymola didn’t see it coming.

After the Red Raiders’ 25-16, 25-15 Fox Valley Conference victory against Prairie Ridge on Sept. 5, Naymola was surprised to learn she had just earned career win No. 500.

“It was a shock,” she said. “I wasn’t expecting it.”

Naymola, who was 17-20 in her first season at Huntley in 2012, was given flowers after her team’s win at Prairie Ridge, and the team took a photo in front of the net. Later she was given a plaque commemorating the milestone.

Two of Naymola’s daughters, Abby and Izzy Whitehouse, are on the team. Abby Whitehouse, the team’s starting setter, had 11 assists in the win against Prairie Ridge.

Kylie Jenkins, a 2020 graduate from Huntley, is back coaching the school’s freshman team, which just reminds Naymola of how many players have impacted the program over the years.

“It was exciting,” said Naymola, who coached at Hampshire from 2005 to 2011 with a Class 2A runner-up finish in 2007 before taking over at Huntley in 2012. “It was emotional because I have two of my daughters on the team now, so it was nice that they got to be a part of it.

“There are many talented kids that have come through the program, and it’s neat that all of them have had a huge part of this.”

With Naymola – a 1999 Cary-Grove graduate – leading the way, the Raiders are trying to win their third consecutive Fox Valley Conference championship. They’re in a tie for first. Her Huntley teams have won nine Class 4A regional titles and three sectional titles.

Naymola knows wins aren’t easy to come by, especially in the FVC.

“If you don’t come out ready to compete, every team in this conference is competitive, every team in this conference is a great team,” Naymola said after Huntley defeated Hampshire 28-26, 25-13 on Tuesday. “You don’t come out ready every single match with confidence and ready to win, it’s not going to go your way.”

Perfect Rockets: Richmond-Burton has yet to drop a match or set all season. Following Wednesday’s Kishwaukee River Conference sweep against Sandwich, R-B is 12-0 overall and 4-0 in the KRC. The Rockets swept all five of their matches to win the Grayslake Central Ram Slam Tournament last weekend, defeating host Grayslake Central in the final.

Richmond-Burton went 29-7 last season and won its first conference championship since 2016 with a 10-0 record in the KRC. This year’s team brought back All-KRC selections in senior setter Alex Hopp (739 assists with 145 digs and 75 aces) and senior outside hitter Elissa Furlan (253 kills, 51 aces, 212 digs).

The team’s biggest loss to graduation was Maggie Uhwat (team-high 315 kills), who now is at Central Michigan.

Richmond-Burton coach Mike Kamholz said the team doesn’t go into any match thinking it will lose.

“We’ve been telling ourselves, and we said this last year, that the only people we truly believe can beat us is ourselves,” Kamholz said. “As long as we keep our heads about us, we’ll always have a chance. The girls are very coachable and stick together.”

Richmond-Burton and Woodstock North both entered Friday leading the KRC at 4-0. The Rockets host the Thunder at 6 p.m. Monday in their first of two conference matches this year.

Whips look to take next step: Hampshire feels like it has been close to competing for a conference title in recent seasons, but this year’s team certainly is showing it has the capability with its early-season play. On Tuesday, the Whip-Purs played toe-to-toe with three-time defending FVC champion Huntley, falling 28-26, 25-13.

Hampshire could not slow down Huntley senior outside hitter Georgia Watson, a Kentucky commit who had a match-high 16 kills, although the Whips came close to beating the Raiders in the opening set with a 24-21 lead at one point.

First-year coach Omar Cortez believes the Whips are close to breaking through. Through Thursday, Hampshire is tied with Huntley, Burlington Central and Crystal Lake Central for first place in the FVC.

“We run two setters, and I’ve got a bunch of players who can play pin or middle, so it gives me a lot of options,” Cortez said. “It’s a pretty young group, as well. I only have three or four seniors, the rest are all juniors. It’s nice to have a building block for next year and years coming. We’ll have a solid core coming back.”

Cortez said juniors Elizabeth King, an outside hitter, and Kylie Lambert, a setter, have taken on bigger roles this year.

“King is our kill percentage leader and [Lambert] has been stepping up, as well,” Cortez said after losing to Huntley. “She’s been that first setter out there to get our offense flowing. Those two have really stepped up a lot, which I know they do for club, too.

“They’ve played up every year, and it definitely shows in big matches like tonight.”