On Wednesday, September 13, 2023, the girls varsity volleyball team won against the Lake Forest Scouts in an exciting match.
Coming off a multi-win tournament and a previous away win against the Warren Township Blue Devils, the team was ready to play on Wednesday night. With several close friends of the players on the bench and a student section dressed for the groutfit theme, the game, consisting of two quick wins for the Wildcats, was ready to begin.
Stepping up for the Scouts, senior Julia Liebelt (2), a libero and outside hitter, gave the first serve of the game. The point ultimately went to the Wildcats, who grew quickly to a 3-0 lead, aided by an ace, or an unreturned serve, from senior Jaimie Marquardt (12).
“I love the girls on the team and our team culture that we have,” said Marquardt. Having played volleyball since sixth grade, including three years on varsity, Marquardt recently committed to the University of Iowa to continue playing. “I think we’re a really great group of girls that have a lot of experience together with being 10 seniors. It’s really fun just stepping out on the court every time together.”
While Lake Forest gained a small 5-4 lead early in the game, Libertyville seniors Hannah Fleming (17) and Mia Colton (10) aided Libertyville in regaining the lead. Following another ace by Marquardt, Libertyville continued to pull away, until senior Stella Meyer (8) finished the set with a kill, or an unreturned attack. Libertyville took the first win of the night with a final score of 25-18.
“I thought we started a little slow,” said Mr. Greg Loika, the team’s head coach, “and when you’re playing against a team that isn’t giving you a lot of hard swings back it forces you to really control the ball on your side and take care of your own tempo.”
Libertyville only further showcased their talent during the second game, jumping to another early lead aided by their seniors, with notable kills by Fleming and Meyer. While the Scouts mounted a small comeback, Libertyville found themselves at the match point with a comfortable lead over Lake Forest.
It was freshman Charlie Fleegle (19), a libero for the team, who stepped up for the final serve of the game. Following her ace, the gym erupted in reaction to the first-year’s powerful serve that gave Libertyville their second win of the night 25-15.
Following a hard-earned celebration, the team looks ahead to their upcoming games, including their next-day senior night at home against the St. Viator Lions. On Wednesday, September 20, the team will play their next conference game, away against the Waukegan Bulldogs. The following day, they will play their crosstown rivals, the Carmel Corsairs.
“I personally think we want to get farther in regionals than we did last year,” said senior Sky Rohrbach.
Meanwhile, according to Marquardt, one of the team’s goals “is winning conference. We’ve won four years in a row so I think being able to win a fifth year would be awesome.”