The atmosphere in Metea Valley’s gym was stifling Wednesday, and it wasn’t just because of the heat.
Morgan Rank was to blame, too.
The Alabama-bound senior libero had a team-high 11 digs to lead an airtight defensive effort as the host Mustangs rolled past Glenbard East 25-16, 25-13 in the season opener for both teams.
“She’s so instinctive when it comes to defense,” Metea coach Dave Macdonald said. “When she was younger, it was her athleticism that got her through.
“She’s so smart now in the back row and reads hitters so well that it’s a breath of fresh air because she’s going to go for every single thing.”
Rank and her teammates got to nearly every single thing. Glenbard East did not record a kill until the 70th point of the match and finished with only three.
Part of the reason for that was Metea’s dominant attack, which had the Rams on the defensive for long stretches. But if you can’t put the ball down, you’re doomed to fail.
Rank and several other Mustangs, including senior setter Regan Holmer, skipped last spring’s truncated high school season in order to play club.
According to Rank, it was the right decision.
“I think going to club season last year helped improve me a lot, in serve receive, defense, serving, everything,” Rank said. “So, I’m just going to bring that back here, help this team out.”
One match into the season, it’s apparent big things could be in store for Metea.
“It just feels really amazing because all of us were in club season and it really helped us get a lot better, so we’re just going to bring it back here,” said Rank, who also had four service points and three assists. “The group of girls we have this year, we’re all so close together, which will definitely help us be successful this season.”
Rank and Holmer, who has committed to Grand Canyon for beach volleyball, were on varsity as freshmen and now have the experience as well as the talent to be great leaders.
“It’s definitely a little weird to be the seniors since we’ve been doing this since we were freshmen,” Holmer said. “We’re the old kids now, but it’s super fun.
“Coming in as a freshman and even as a sophomore, we were too young to be in that position, but we kind of had to be in that position. Now, it’s our place to be in that position.”
Holmer put the Mustangs in a great position early, dishing five of her 19 assists during an opening 12-1 burst in Game 1. Junior outside Kira Hutson, a Florida recruit, and senior right-side Maura Pilafas combined for seven kills during that stretch.
The 6-foot-4 Hutson had a monster varsity debut, contributing 16 of Metea’s 30 kills. Pilafas and sophomore outside Camille Harrison each added five kills, while junior outside Annabelle Troy and senior middle Jessica Williams had seven service points apiece and combined for four aces.
“We’ve got a very deep group, a very talented group,” Macdonald said. “Everyone contributed (Wednesday) and did their job.”
Ten of the 14 players on Metea’s roster are seniors — and expectations are high. Rank and Holmer will be the linchpins.
“To have those two guys come back is great,” Macdonald said. “They were two freshmen we pulled up right away because we knew this class was special.
“These two are very special players, and they showed it again (Wednesday) just with their leadership.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.
