Tigers 1 victory away from state date

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VERNON HILLS – Lindsey Anderson didn’t need a full-power strike to score the Crystal Lake Central volleyball team’s final point to defeat St. Viator in Thursday’s Class 3A Vernon Hills Sectional final.

Instead, the senior middle hitter used a controlled hit to drop the ball past the Lions’ defense, giving the Tigers the match with a 25-19, 25-20 victory.

“It was such an intense game, I didn’t know if it was over or not,” Anderson said of her game-winning kill. “It was so exciting, I took a minute, looked back and realized, ‘Oh my gosh, we just won.’ ”

The Tigers (36-3) advance to the Grayslake Central Supersectional at 1 p.m. Saturday, where they will face Nazareth Academy. They would advance to the state semifinals next week at Illinois State University in Normal next weekend with a win against Nazareth.

Tigers libero Julie Jeziorow-ski led her team in digs with 15 in a match that showcased the defensive play on both sides.

Lindsey Anderson had seven kills to lead the Tigers offense Thursday, with Amelia Anderson contributing six.

The Tigers knew St. Viator was a good defensive team coming in, Lindsey Anderson said, and the Lions lived up to their reputation.

Both teams kept spiked balls and tough serves in play, and no attack was uncontested.

“Both teams played good enough defense,” Blundy said. “They kept the ball alive whether they were tipping or hitting hard. Both teams did a nice job getting things up.”

With both sides playing strong defense, Blundy said that the game turned on who made the fewest mistakes.

In the first game, the Tigers were trailing, 9-6, before going on an 11-point rally, with six of the points coming off errors by the Lions. In the second game, back-to-back errors by St. Viator put the Tigers up, 20-16, and Central closed out the match from there.

The last time the Tigers went to state was in 2007, when they finished 42-0 and won a state championship in Class 3A.

“We have one more game. We would love to go [to state],” Anderson said. “That’s all we want.”