Trojans ‘on board’ from start

Kayla Klinger winds up to spike the ball during Cary-Grove's practice Wednesday. C-G plays in the IHSA Class 4A state semifinals Friday. (Nick Dentamaro - ndentamaro@nwherald.com) (Nick Dentamaro ())

E-mail this story

Print this story

Share

CARY – There have been other talented teams that have come through Cary-Grove’s girls volleyball program, but perhaps none with as much focus.

In the spring, when coach Patty Langanis asked her players to learn to jump serve, they quietly set about practicing the technique.

When during the summer Langanis asked her players to outline their goals, the Trojans simply did so, not bothering to wonder whether any of them were out of reach.

When Langanis held an IHSA Class 4A supersectional trophy last weekend, knowing her team had earned the program’s first trip to the state semifinals, it was the culmination of everything she knew this team could do simply because the players wanted it so badly and never questioned whether they could.

The Trojans will face Glenbrook South at 6:30 p.m. today at Redbird Arena in Normal.

“Sometimes you get the kids who are completely focused on doing something, and then you have a few players who really don’t care one way or another,” Langanis said. “That’s not the case with this team. All 16 girls on this roster have wanted this from the beginning. This team is all on board. If you get to have this experience, to play in the state tournament, I couldn’t ask for a better team to experience it than this one.”

C-G (36-4) has rolled into the state semifinals behind two Division I-bound setters, Abbey Heredia (Jacksonville State – 829 assists) and Colleen Smith (Indiana - 123 assists, 151 digs), and two dangerous outside hitters in Kayla Klinger (191 kills) and Kelly Lamberti (373 kills).

Middle hitters Colleen Hargrove (143 kills, 153 blocks) and Ashley Rosch (219 blocks, 153 kills) pad the Trojans’ depth, and scrappy libero Sam Mainzer (111 digs), moved to that position during the middle of the season, has made the Trojans’ back row stable.

“It hasn’t really sunk in yet,” Heredia said. “This whole thing is such a shock to us. We knew that we could do it, but we’re still so [surprised].”

Wednesday was the Trojans’ final practice on their home floor – another goal they’d set for themselves at the beginning of the season.

“This is the final day any team can possibly practice,” Heredia said. “We knew that if we could get to this final practice, the next one would be at Redbird. We wanted to be one of the teams left that could possibly still be practicing.”

The Trojans have a challenge in Glenbrook South – namely, shutting down 6-foot-4 outside hitter Ellen Chapman (431 kills).

The Titans also are 36-4 and have played a similarly difficult schedule. They are athletic at all positions; Chapman is the defending Class 3A state champion in the high jump, and the offense has opened up around her after senior Emani Sims (215 kills, 67 blocks) moved from outside hitter to middle hitter.

“I think we have to keep doing what we’re doing,” Klinger said. “We’ll be two pretty equal teams if we keep playing like we know we can.”

The Trojans have taken a point-by-point mentality through the postseason, and it has made them tough mentally – they have not played a three-set match since Oct. 20, when Crystal Lake South took C-G to three sets for the Fox Valley Conference Valley Division title. The Trojans went on to win the match and the division crown.

“We talk about this match like it’s just another match on our schedule,” Lamberti said. “We’re playing for more, and we think about that, too, but really we’re just coming in to play Glenbrook South. The game will come naturally to us as long as we play like we always do.”