MM_091417

44 | September 14, 2017 | The Mokena Messenger SPORTS
mokenamessenger.com
East spikes Central; Knights fall to 8-2
Griffins edge Knights
in all-Lincoln-Way
volleyball matchup
Randy Whalen,
Freelance Reporter
The Lincoln-Way East
girls volleyball team is expecting
big things. The
Lincoln-Way Central girls
volleyball team has already
experienced a big turnaround.
So when the two District
210 schools met up with
each other last week both
of those positives were on
display. In the end East prevailed
16-25, 25-18, 25-20 in
a SouthWest Suburban Conference
crossover on Thursday,
Sept. 7 in New Lenox.
But the victorious Griffins
(6-3) definitely knew they
had their hands full against
an upstart Central (8-2) club,
which already has more than
half the wins (15) it did all of
last season.
“Central played great defense
and hit smart,” East
coach Kris Fiore said. “I told
the girls that it was a playoff
atmosphere. We had to earn
it and we did. We have a lot
of great senior leadership.”
That leadership showed
down the stretch of the third
set. The Knights had closed
to within 21-20 when East,
which had just made three
straight hitting errors, called
a time out. Central then
served long to put the Griffins
back on serve. They
never relinquished that as
Hanna Lesiak (5 kills, 2
aces) served an ace, fellow
senior outside hitter Molly
Hackett had a block and Lesiak
laced a final ace to end
it.
“Central is a really good
team and we knew we had
to fight,” Lesiak said. “But,
in the end, we had heart and
drive. As a team we all have
that drive to finish what we
started. We have heart and we
were a little better.”
It also helped that the Griffins
have Haley Hart. The
senior middle hitter put down
eight kills, including backto-back
key ones in a 6-0 run
that put East ahead for good
at 18-15 in set three. Hackett
(match high 11 kills, 11 digs,
4 aces) had a pair of aces in
the burst, which came on the
heels of a 6-0 run from the
Knights, during which East
made five errors.
“We were all nervous and
we could tell,” Hart said of the
third set stretch. “We all had
to calm each other down and
not make mistakes. [On her
back-to-back kills] we were
just trying to switch up and
set the middle because [Central]
was looking for us to go
outside. Madi [Corey] knew
where to go with her sets.”
Corey distributed 24 assists
from her setter position.
Fellow senior Emily Ripp
had 11 digs at libero.
As sophomores two years
ago, Corey, Lesiak, and Ripp
were all at Lincoln-Way
North. In their final season,
the Phoenix won a sectional
championship. The trio transferred
to East as juniors, but
their coach at North two
years ago was current Central
coach Mary Brown.
“I’m happy for them and
how far they’ve come,”
Brown said of her former
players.
She said she’s also happy
with how her team has performed
this season.
“I have a good bunch of
girls that like to win,” Brown
said. “We don’t like to lose,
but the thing is we don’t have
any big hitters. That’s been
our weakness.”
But that didn’t stop Central
from taking control early in
the opener. East had leads of
2-0, 3-1 and 4-3 before the
Knights used a 7-1 burst to
go up 10-5 and take the lead
for good. Senior libero Lucy
Chesla (3 aces, 9 digs) had
back-to-back aces and senior
setter/right side hitter Kylie
Kulinski (6 kills, 4 assists)
had an ace and a kill in the
stretch.
The closest East got after
that was three points, the last
time at 14-11. Another ace by
Kulinski made it 20-13 and
consecutive aces from senior
outside hitter Hannah Stacy
helped pushed the lead to 23-
14 as the Knights coasted to
the opening set victory.
Set two started out close
with four ties and three lead
changes early on. It was still
close midway through as East
clung to a 14-13 lead before
Hackett highlighted a 7-1
spurt with a trio of kills. The
Knights closed within 22-
18 on an ace by senior right
side hitter Michelle Burk, but
East closed it out as Hackett
and Hart had kills down the
stretch.
Corey had an ace in the
third set to cap off a 5-0 run
and give the Griffins a 9-3
lead. But, trailing 10-4, Central
came back to take the
15-12 lead before East regrouped
to pull it out.
Senior setter/right side hitter
Cassidy Wyman (3 kills,
10 assists) and sophomore
middle hitter Layne Stevens
(3 blocks) also contributed
for the Knights, whose
only other loss this season
was 25-19, 25-13 in pool
play to tournament champion
Marist in the Plainfield
North Invite.
“I’m really proud of my
girls,” Brown said. “They
are really coachable, we
get the most out of them,
and they have a great work
ethic,” Brown said. “East
served us really tough. We
hope to get another chance
to face them at the end of
the season.”
Two days before, on Sept.
5, the Knights won a local
matchup as they defeated visiting
Providence 25-18, 25-23
in an all New Lenox battle.
Kulinski (11 kills, 8 assists,
3 blocks), Wyman (5 kills,
10 assists, 9 digs), Chesla (11
digs) and Layne (3 blocks) led
the way for Central.
FOOTBALL
From Page 46
than 38 points per game.
Pollack opened the scoring
against Thornwood with a
41-yard catch-and-run on a
wide receiver screen, then
ran for touchdowns of 16
and 2 yards, respectively. He
finished with seven carries
for 51 yards and two receptions
for 57 yards.
Senior quarterback Sam
Pipiras played another efficient
game, completing
6-of-9 passes for 138 yards
and two touchdowns, including
a 4-yarder to Zach Stoklosa.
Pipiras, in his first year
starting under center, has yet
to turn the ball over.
Stoklosa, meanwhile, also
caught a 45-yard pass from
Pipiras and totaled 49 yards
on two receptions. Running
backs Mike Gossage and
Conner McWilliams contributed
to the scoring, each
with touchdown runs of 5
yards.
The Knights will attempt
to avenge one of their four
defeats from 2016 when they
face Lockport on Homecoming
at 7:30 Friday, Sept. 15.
The Knights played arguably
their worst game last
season against the Porters,
and lost 16-14. Beyond that,
in Week 5, looms a date with
Lincoln-Way East. The Griffins
(3-0) entered Week 3
as the No. 1-ranked team in
the state by the Associated
Press.
RIGHT: Quarterback Sam
Pipiras, who finished
6-for-9, 138 yards and two
touchdowns, passes the
ball. Jason Maholy/22nd
Century Media