Hopper leads Libertyville to title

Updated: March 22, 2011 5:28PM

After being sidelined for nearly two weeks with an ankle sprain, Libertyville's Paige Hopper wasn't about to let a little pain prevent her from attending her school's homecoming dance Saturday night.

"I am going to dance the night away," the 5-foot-11 outside hitter said. "I'll be sore tomorrow."

Earlier Saturday, Hopper was a pain in Stevenson's side, amassing 16 kills and seven digs to lead the Wildcats to a 25-23, 26-24 victory and the championship of the six-team Stevenson round-robin tournament.

Libertyville improved to 21-0 and has yet to lose a game after sweeping the Patriots, Loyola, McHenry, Grant and Wheeling on Saturday. The Wildcats won last weekend's Prospect invite without Hopper, but needed every bit of their talented senior against Stevenson.

"My team did it (last weekend)," said Hopper, who twisted her right ankle after stepping on an opponent's foot in a match against Zion-Benton. "I was there in spirit on the bench. But there was no way I going to miss this. I wanted to be back for this tournament."

Stevenson grabbed a 9-3 lead in Game 1 and rallied from a 17-9 deficit to take a 23-20 lead in Game 2. But Hopper, Catie Steffen (six kills, 14 digs), Cindy Zhou (26 assists, three kills) and Kristen Webb (16 digs) dug in.

"That's not the kind of lead (17-9) we are used to giving away," Libertyville coach Greg Loika said. "Our setting and our passing both went away a little bit. But we were able to transition and close it out at the end.

"We knew after our last match (with Stevenson) they would be hungry, especially playing at home," the coach added. "It was tough, emotional match for the girls."

Stevenson (15-6) finished second in the tournament, closing out the afternoon with a 25-9, 25-21 victory over Loyola (7-13). The Patriots are now 0-2 against Libertyville, but could see them again at the Lake County tournament or in the state tournament.

"We played very well," Stevenson coach Tim Crow said. "They (Libertyville) made the plays when they needed to. I am pleased with the effort and the level we are playing at right now. We really can't dwell on this. We could see them again."

Meanwhile, Webb, a sophomore libero, could not deny the fact that the Wildcats are feeling some heat because of their unblemished record.

"I definitely feel some pressure," she said. "I'm a little nervous before games. We are just taking it one game at a time."

Having players like Steffen and Hopper on your side of the net helps.

"I feel the pressure every game to keep up our reputation," Hopper said. "But I love how this team always finds a way to win."

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