Must Watch Matches for Chicagoland High School Volleyball: Week 2

The first week of gameplay brought many competitive matchups and impressive athletes ready to show where they plan to lead their team going into their season. In the first week to make first impressions, there are several teams who put their name on the map after last week's matches and long tournament days. As we head into week 2 of play for high schools in the Chicagoland area, here are the top three matches you won't want to miss:   Match 1: Lyons Township High School vs. Willowbrook High School Wed. 8/31 at 6:30 pm   Both teams are heading into their second week of play with undefeated records thus far. Much of Lyons Township's early success can be credited to the connection between junior setter, [player_tooltip player_id='135960' first='Abby' last='Markworth'] and her senior hitters, [player_tooltip player_id='138656' first='Kamryn' last='Lee-Caracci'] and Katie Debs. A Georgetown commit, Kam takes heavy swings from anywhere on the court. Her athleticism allows her to take swings all along the front row, with any tempo and her ball control makes her a viable option as a backcourt defender and attacker. Debs is a 6'3" middle blocker whose lateral movements make it difficult for any hitter to swing through. She makes herself an offensive option in any rally with her quick tracking of the pass and finding her setter so she can get on the ball fast beating the block. The offensive lineup with Lyons Township and the Kenny sisters at Willowbrook high school will be very interesting to see. Hannah Kenny is a sophomore setter and hitter who is following the athletic footsteps of her sister Calli Kenny, who is a junior setter and hitter. Both sisters have the ability to find their hitters from anywhere on the court, but their heavy arm swings make them an offensive threat for any team they are up against.   Match 2: Metea Valley High School vs. Benet Academy Thurs. 9/1 at 5:30 pm   You could say Metea Valley had a successful season last fall after coming home in November from the Redbird arena with the 4A state champion status. [player_tooltip player_id='195936' first='Kira' last='Hutson'], a University of Florida commit and junior for Metea Valley, has quickly made a name for herself and for the school she represents. Kira's athleticism and aggressive offensive tendencies have made her a force to be reckoned with. To continue the strength in Metea Valleys' front row, [player_tooltip player_id='135980' first='Camille' last='Morrison'] is a 6'0" outside hitter, perfectly compliments Hutson's strength on the outside, giving the team the option to always have an aggressive attacker on the pin. Both hitters were sophomores last season as Metea Valley worked their way to the top of the 4A bracket, so they have plenty of experience knowing what it takes to bring that trophy home again. Benet is the program that has been built on multiple state championship finishes and the standard in that program has brought in many athletes eager to get a taste of that finish down at state. Senior middle blocker and Xavier commit, [player_tooltip player_id='138651' first='Annie' last='Eschenbach'] is going to make the most out of her senior season by leading Benet to the top. Annies heavy arm swing and strong upper body finish on her block will make a great front-line defense for Benet this season.   Match 3: Glenbrook South High School vs. Warren Township High School Fri. 9/2 at 7:00 pm   Glenbrook South's first week of play was busy and they opened up their season with a more than confident start at a 7-0 record thus far. [player_tooltip player_id='136593' first='Caroline' last='Crawford'], a junior middle blocker has lead them through their strong start with her aggressive offensive production. The fact the she is a quick middle standing at 6' tall shows how dynamic she can be and how much she does for Glenbrook South. Another junior for Glenbrook south, [player_tooltip player_id='135962' first='Ava' last='Pratt'] brings a consistent but heavy swing on the outside whether they are in system or out of system. Warren Township and Glenbrook South have seen each other already once and I anticipate Warren Township will come back fighting to chip points away from South. Lauren Shaw and [player_tooltip player_id='135994' first='Ruth' last='Ziegler'] are big factors to the offensive production of Warren Township with a cumulative hitting percentage of .327 between the two attackers. Shaw has a great hitting range that beats the defenders who can get caught watching the ball to long and not her hitting cues. Zielger is an aggressive middle blocker who hits at her highest contact point with a fast armswing that can beat any block that is up against her.

The first week of gameplay brought many competitive matchups and impressive athletes ready to show where they plan to lead their team going into their season. In the first week to make first impressions, there are several teams who put their name on the map after last week's matches and long tournament days. As we head into week 2 of play for high schools in the Chicagoland area, here are the top three matches you won't want to miss: