Class 4A’s top-rated Owls cruise past Eagles

ELGIN Like a crafty pitcher throwing sliders, curves and change-ups, Elgin's volleyball team frustrated Eisenhower at the net Thursday, scoring on dinks, dumps, blocks and a variety of other methods to take a 3-0 volleyball victory in the Owls' Gym.

Ike stayed close in the first two sets, but wound up falling 25-16 in both as mistakes opened the door for the Owls, who are ranked No. 1 in Class 4A with a 17-0 record, to close both of them out with late runs. In the final set it was more of the same, but this time Ike's streak came in the middle of the set but the final outcome was almost the same, 25-15.

"We just have smart players," Elgin coach Lindsay Mickley said. "They know strategy and they know when to swing hard and when to dump. Ike loves to hit the ball hard and we kept them off-balance with our play at the net. You could sense them getting a little frustrated."

For Ike coach Becky Martin the frustration of her players led to mistake after mistake.

"We just made too many mistakes to stay with a good team like Elgin," she said. "They are as solid as any team we've seen. They move the ball really well and just make plays. You may have noticed, outside of Jenty (6-3 sophomore Holt) they aren't that tall but they all jump well and they time their hits so well. That's the difference in them and our girls.

"We hit too many balls right into the net because we timed it wrong. And we didn't block very well. We got in position at times but then wouldn't close out the block. We blocked several out of bounds after being in great position. Then they get you up at the net thinking block and she (Holt) dumps it over us. We did get frustrated; without a doubt."

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