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wilmettebeacon.com SPORTS
the wilmette beacon | November 8, 2018 | 43
Girls volleyball
Loyola makes name for itself in 2018
Michael Wojtychiw
Sports Editor
1st-and-3
22CM FILE PHOTO
Three STARS of the
week
1. Mary Kate
Lopez (above).
The Loyola girls
volleyball player
tallied 23 kills
over three games,
helping lead the
Ramblers to a
sectional title.
2. Nate Van Zelst.
The Loyola kicker
connected on
field goals of 30,
36 and 26 yards,
as well as two
extra points in
Loyola’s shutout
win over Oswego.
3. Marlee Fradkin.
The New Trier
girls crosscountry
runner
finished nearly 44
seconds better
this year than she
did last year.
Loyola came into the
2018 season hoping to
make a name for itself.
It’s fair to say that the
Ramblers did just that
this season by winning
30 games, beating Mother
McAuley for the first time
in program history, winning
a sectional title for
the first time since 2015
and getting to within one
match of going to the
state’s final four for only
the second time in program
history.
Unfortunately for the
Ramblers, it all ended
there as they fell to Prairie
Ridge 27-29, 14-25 in the
Warren Supersectional Friday,
Nov. 2, in Gurnee.
“We’re starting a name
for Loyola in volleyball
and that this is what Loyola
Academy can do and continue
to go far in the playoffs,”
Loyola coach Mallory
Thelander said.
After a miraculous
comeback in the sectional
semifinal against Hersey
and a relatively easy
sectional-final win over
Fremd, Loyola was hoping
to get its third win of the
week, sending it to Illinois
State next weekend. The
Wolves, on the other hand,
had quite the different sectional
experience, winning
both sectional games easily
in two sets each.
The match started off
Elizabeth Ford tries to pick up a kill against Prairie Ridge Friday, Nov. 2, in Gurnee. Carlos Alvarez/22nd Century Media
as you would think one at
this stage of the state tournament
would: both teams
playing evenly, no team
gaining more than a threeor
four-point lead. That is,
however, when the Wolves
took a 20-15 lead on a hitting
error by the Ramblers.
However, that error set
something off in the Ramblers,
as they went on an
8-1 run to take a 23-21
lead. The run forced Prairie
Ridge to take a timeout,
which then resulted in a
3-0 Prairie Ridge run that
gave the Wolves set point.
However, a service error
tied the game and then set
off a stretch of each team
siding out on the next eight
points. Loyola had chances
to take the set when they
were up 25-24 and 27-26
but couldn’t pull out the
win as the Wolves got an
ace and a block to take the
opening set.
“I think if we won Set
1, that would have given
us momentum going into
Set 2, because you put so
much energy into one set
and then you start out fresh
again,” Thelander said.
Senior Julia Martinez
talked about what it was
like to play in a set like
that.
“We fell short in the
set but going back-andforth,
that kept it interesting,
both crowds were so
loud,” she said. “I’ve never
been in an atmosphere
like this for volleyball so it
was exciting.”
Prairie Ridge’s momentum
carried into the second
set, as it broke a 3-3
tie with a 15-4 run that put
the set, and the match, out
of reach.
Despite the loss, Thelander,
who coached a
good portion of this year’s
seniors when they were
freshmen, was proud of
her them and the season
they had.
“It’s really great to see
how much they’ve progressed,”
the coach said.
“It’s a big senior class,
and I think all those underclassmen
being here tonight
and watching them,
those layers will want to
continue the tradition from
what they saw tonight.”
Martinez, who will play
basketball at Saint Louis
University starting in
2019, has memories she’ll
For full coverage of
Loyola’s sectional
semifinal and final
victories, visit
WilmetteBeacon.com.
remember from this year’s
squad as well.
“This season has been
exciting because us seniors
wanted to make a mark before
we left and to set that
bar on how hard we work,
what it takes to be successful
for the younger kids,”
she said. “We didn’t make
it downstate, which is alright,
but I’m so proud of
our team, it was a fun season.”
Mary Kate Lopez led the
Ramblers with eight kills,
while Jackie Yau added
five and Elizabeth Ford
four.
Listen Up
“We game-planned for them really well. We
had a great scheme and executed well.”
Sam Schieloh — Loyola football player on how the
Ramblers were able to shutout Oswego.
tunE in
What to watch this week
FOOTBALL: One of the state’s best nonconference rivalries is
back for the playoffs as the Ramblers head to Park Ridge.
• Loyola travels to Maine South for a quarterfinal at 1
p.m. Saturday, Nov. 10, in Park Ridge.
Index
38 - Cross-country
37 - Athlete of the Week
Fastbreak is compiled by Sports Editor Michael
Wojtychiw, m.wojtychiw@22ndcenturymedia.com.