Nicole Schuh watched most of Cary-Grove’s impressive run last year from the sidelines. Stuck to the bench, Schuh used the opportunity to learn the intricacies of the game to prepare for this season.
After losing four starters from last year’s 41-1 Class 4A second-place squad, Cary-Grove is 13-0, and Schuh is one of the players in an integral role.
“It was a great experience watching the team last year,” Schuh said. “I learned so much and just waited for my turn, watching and cheering my heart out for them.”
Schuh relied on her experience playing for her club team, Sky High 17 Red, to prepare for her starting libero position after the graduation of Sam Mainzer.
“It’s really exciting and fun to be contributing and helping the team win,” Schuh said. “We don’t focus in practice (on last year’s results) and just play it one game at a time. We’re trying to take little steps.”
Schuh turned into a closer during the afternoon session at the Prairie Ridge Invite. She served four straight points to lead the Trojans to a Game 1 victory over St. Charles East, and added a match-winning service point in Game 2. Schuh concluded the tournament with a service point to knock off Prairie Ridge in Cary-Grove’s final match.
“Nicole has done an incredible job stepping into the libero role,” Cary-Grove coach Patty Langanis said.
Barrington welcomes improvement:
Last year, Barrington lost all five matches in the Prairie Ridge Invitational. The Broncos left the tourney sporting a 2-8 record.
One year later, the Broncos find themselves in a better situation. Barrington posted a 3-2 record in Saturday’s Prairie Ridge Invite, beating Prairie Ridge, New Trier and Nazareth.
“Overall, we had a good day,” first-year Barrington coach Rob Ridenour said. “I think the best thing about this team is they won’t be satisfied about today.”
The Broncos won their first eight matches before running into Cary-Grove in the first round Saturday. The Trojans defeated the Broncos 25-19, 25-17 on the way to winning their third straight Prairie Ridge title. Barrington lost 25-21, 26-24 to St. Charles East in its last match.
“We needed today to get back and see what we can improve on,” Ridenour said.
Brauneis set to return:
Host Prairie Ridge won just one of its five matches Saturday. The Wolves defeated Nazareth 25-23, 25-23 in their first match, but lost in three games to Barrington, St. Charles East and New Trier before falling in two games to Cary-Grove.
“This was a good day,” Prairie Ridge coach Stefanie Otto said. “We only won one (match), but we played with everybody pretty well. The girls never quit.”
The Wolves played without junior Caitlin Brauneis, who remains sidelined after suffering an ACL injury before the start of the season. Brauneis is scheduled to return within two weeks.
