Resolute Tigers surge into final

Crystal Lake Central's Amelia Anderson (center) celebrates after winning the first game during Tuesday's Class 3A Genoa-Kingston Sectional semifinal against Rockford Boylan Catholic. (Sarah Nader ())

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GENOA – There were times when the Tigers simply refused to give in.

Crystal Lake Central’s girls volleyball team rose to the occasion with several hustle plays to keep balls alive with the season on the line.

“We go (all) out for every ball,” Tigers senior Amelia Anderson said. “And we don’t stop until that ball is down on the other side.”

While her team went to never-say-die mode defensively, Anderson did the rest in the decisive third game Tuesday night.

The four-year veteran shined down the stretch, finishing with 16 kills to lead Central past Rockford Boylan, 25-14, 17-25, 25-16, in the IHSA Class 3A Genoa-Kingston Sectional semifinals.

The Tigers (32-6) move on to face Marian Central (32-6) in the sectional championship game at 7 p.m. Thursday. The Hurricanes defeated Central in three games at the Tigers’ tournament last month.

In front of a rowdy pro-Tigers crowd, Central came out firing on all cylinders in the opening game against the Titans (30-3) in Genoa.

Anderson and sophomore Lauren Leverenz took turns finding holes in the Boylan defense with hard cross-court kills and soft, precise tips. The Tigers led throughout and cruised to a surprisingly easy 11-point victory.

“We were all fired up,” Central coach Lisa Reddish said. “We were excited and we went all-out defensively. It was a great start.”

The Titans, who had lost only three times in 33 games, weren’t used to being pushed around. Led by sophomore outside hitter Bryanna Weiskircher, they bounced right back in the second game.

Boylan stormed back into the match when Weiskircher’s tip gave her team a 25-17 win.

“We were surprised by the score of the first game,” Reddish confessed. “In Game 2, we made too many changes and made too many errors. And Boylan just played phenomenal.”

While facing elimination in a decisive third game, Anderson proved to be a calming influence for the Tigers. The dynamic 6-foot-2 middle hitter, who was part of the Central’s 2009 state championship club, stepped up with seven kills in Game 3 alone.

Central also received a huge block from sophomores Lauren Leverenz and Rachael Schoepke in crunch time as the squad rallied back from a 13-11 deficit to close the match on a 14-3 run.

Leverenz also finished with eight kills for the Tigers. Sophomore setter Natalie Ricca ended up with 28 assists. Anderson contributed with 16 digs defensively, while Victoria Day added 10 and Kellie Fredette had nine.

“In Game 3, it was now or never,” Reddish said. “In the end, we got some strong leadership from our seniors and our two big sophomores really stepped up. That got the momentum going and we rolled with it.”