Make-or-break situations call for experienced players like Lake Forest senior outside hitter Courtney Hvostik.
One of those times came for the Scouts late in the second set of the Class 3A Lake Forest Regional championship match against Grayslake North on Thursday.
“It was really intense at the end of that second set,” Hvostik.
The sixth-seeded Knights reeled off eight straight points to take a 21-20 lead and send the match to the brink of a third set. Then Hvostik and senior outside hitter Mackenzie Pitera recorded back-to-back kills to put the third-seeded Scouts back on top. Moments later, Pitera’s sixth kill of the match finished Lake Forest’s 25-19, 25-23 win.
“(Grayslake North) was coming up with some big plays, but we also found ways to pick our game up when we needed to stop them,” Hvostik said.
Lake Forest (18-14) earned its third consecutive regional title and advances to play second-seeded St. Viator (28-9) in a Vernon Hills Sectional semifinal at 7 p.m. Monday. The Scouts, who haven’t won a sectional title since 1998, lost to St. Viator in the sectional semifinals last season.
Hvostik, who led Lake Forest with eight kills on Thursday, said the experience of competing in the postseason a year ago boosted her confidence.
“I was playing in my first regional last season, and I remember being a little nervous,” she said. “This time I was really into the match, and I wanted to make a good showing for my teammates.”
Lake Forest coach Tia Rebecca said she wasn’t surprised Hvostik and Pitera, a Lafayette commit, stepped up in crunch time.
“It seems like any time we need a big point or we need someone to settle down the rest of the girls so we can get back in our rhythm, it’s our experienced players like Courtney and Mackenzie,” she said. “Courtney brings so much energy to the court — and really with everything she does.”
Grayslake North (17-20) took advantage of five hitting errors by the Scouts in its late rally.
“I’m proud of the way my team kept playing hard,” Grayslake North coach Jim Sarver said. “We could have packed it up and went home, but we picked up our intensity, especially on the defensive end.”
One of the Knights’ defensive leaders was senior middle blocker Morgan Nielsen, who had two more blocks to add to her single-season program record. She finished the season with 104 and her career with 165, which ranks second.
“It’s a tough way to end the season, but you have to give Lake Forest credit,” Sarver said. “They are a very good team.”
Lake Forest showed its power in the first set, when senior middle hitter Jen Proeh and senior outside hitter Mariella Haubner joined Hvostik and Pitera in controlling the net. Proeh finished with six kills and two blocks.
“I think that is why we have been successful this season,” Hvostik said. “We just don’t have one or two players who teams can key on. It’s really a team effort in most matches.”
Darren Day is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.
