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Girls volleyball: Niles West’s 22 wins only one shy of last year’s record
Host Niles West wasn’t sulking after a pair of spirited comebacks fell short in a 25-22, 25-22 loss to a powerful Loyola squad in the IHSA Class 4A regional final on Oct. 27.
The Wolves (22-11) took solace after finishing their season only a win shy of notching a second straight regional title and matching last year’s all-time high when they went 23-12.
“Our team never gave up all season. We were down in both games and fought back. It was a great match. We played hard,” said eighth-year head coach Stacy Metoyer, who’s expecting her first child in January.
“We weren’t as tall and didn’t have as many strong hitters as last year, but we just came out and fought for everything we got and came very close to last year,” said sophomore outside hitter Olivia Rusek, the core of another promising edition again next fall.
Loyola (23-14), a No. 4 seed to Niles West’s No. 6, prevailed behind the sheer force of star senior middle hitter Kaitlin Mohr (7 kills, solo block, block assist, ace) and 5-foot-9 junior Anna Pontarelli (8 kills, block assist, 19 digs). The 5-11 Mohr will play for Loyola University of New Orleans next year.
“I thought Mohr made the difference,” Metoyer said. “We tried our best, but she’s very hard to contain.”
The Ramblers keyed on Rusek and limited her to five kills. Senior Milena Zalloni compensated with a brilliant performance, finishing with 11 kills, three aces and seven digs.
The Wolves dug out of 14-10 and 18-13 holes in the first game to lead 19-18. Zalloni’s three kills and an outstanding dig by junior setter Felicia Phan fueled the charge. A strong block by junior Emily English kept the hosts even in the early going. But the visitors eventually regained control on two kills apiece by Mohr and Pontarelli.
The second set was a virtual carbon copy as Niles West erased a 14-7 deficit to take leads of 17-16 on sophomore Jenny Grimm’s kill and 20-19 on Zalloni’s. Four unforced miscues finally ended it for the Wolves.
Junior Molly Kleppin, a two-year varsity bedrock at the libero position, came up with 13 digs. Phan and senior setter Sam Chao each furnished eight assists. Junior Melanie Vujovich and Grimm both had four blocks.
“This hurts a little right now. We wanted to get another regional for our seniors,” Kleppin said. “But we were laying it all out by the end of the season; sometimes we’d get down and stay down early in the season. Of the girls coming back next year, we know we need to have really good club seasons so that we can keep improving.”
Niles West put aside recent woes on its home court with a 25-13, 25-14 victory over No. 12 Von Steuben in the regional semifinal on Oct. 25. Zalloni led the Wolves’ all-around dominant performance with 13 kills. Rusek notched five kills and 12 digs. Senior Marina Sostaric also pounded five kills. Kleppin delivered 12 digs. Phan and Chao produced 12 and 10 assists, respectively.
Other returnees next fall will include current juniors Katie McDonagh, Monika Cieszynski, Krista Grunst and Laura Krikorian. The seven departing seniors are Zalloni, Chao, Sostaric, Jinny Park, Carla Certeza, Brinda Shah and Ellen Kim.
The Wolves won the Northside Prep tourney for the fourth straight year. They tied for third place in the rugged CSL South with a 4-6 mark, including a long-awaited victory over Glenbrook South and another over Niles North in the match for breast-cancer awareness.
Rusek and Zalloni were named to the all-conference team, and Chao earned the league’s sportsmanship award voted upon by the coaches.
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