LF_111518

LakeForestLeader.com SPORTS
the lake forest leader | November 15, 2018 | 31
Alex Newman/22nd Century
Media
1st-and-3
Stars of the Week
1. Julia Tanna
(Above). The
Lake Forest
junior swimmer
qualified in all
four events at
the Lake Forest
Sectional, in
the athletes
with disabilities
category, to
punch her ticket
to state.
2. Alyssa Thrash.
The Scout graces
our Second Team,
Team 22 all-area
team for being
a leader for LF
on the court this
season.
3. Kendra Joachim
Another Lake
Forest junior
swimmer to
punch her
ticket to state,
Joachim will
swim the 200-
yard freestyle
and the 500-yard
freestyle race
at Evanston this
weekend.
Girls Volleyball Player of the Year
Lopez's vocal leadership plays role in Loyola's success
Michael Wojtychiw
Contributing Sports Editor
Mary Kate Lopez is a
silent leader, someone
who leads by example.
However, coming into
her senior season with
Loyola Academy’s girls
volleyball team, she hoped
to develop her voice.
“I've always been a silent
leader, not really a
verbal leader,” she said.
“Being aggressive not just
on the volleyball court is
something I really improved
on this year. I
think our success on the
court has helped me develop
who I am off the
court too, as a person.”
Lopez’s leadership
played a big role in why
Loyola had its most successful
season in recent
memory, she helped lead
the Ramblers to a sectional
title, 30 wins and one step
away from a trip downstate.
It’s also one of the
This Week In ...
Scout Athletics
Girls Swimming and
Diving
■Nov. ■ 16-17 - at IHSA State,
5 p.m.
Girls Basketball
■Nov. ■ 17 - at Vernon Hills
Tournament, vs. Elk Grove,
2:30 p.m.
■Nov. ■ 19 - at Vernon Hills
Tournament vs. Vernon
things that helped her earn
22nd Century Media's inaugural
Girls Volleyball
Player of the Year award.
The 2018 season
marked Lopez's third season
on the Ramblers varsity
squad, but the first
one in which the 6-foot-
3-inch lefty moved into
the setter/right-side hitter
role. Despite setting for
her club team in the offseason,
Lopez had primarily
been a hitter the past
two seasons.
Having set for multiple
offseasons in club made
the transition a smooth on
for her.
“And I think just setting
literally, and figuratively
setting also is one of my
strengths,” she said. “I
like how exciting hitting
is, but I'm more of a ... I
think I'm more of a team
player my personality
wise. So hitting is exciting
and it’s cool to be tall, but
I like setting more in the
Hills, 4:30 p.m.
■Nov. ■ 20 - at Vernon Hills
Tournament vs. Antioch,
4:30 p.m.
Boys Basketball
■Nov. ■ 19 - at New Trier
Tournament vs. Butler, 6:30
p.m.
■Nov. ■ 20 - at New Trier
Tournament vs. St. Ignatius,
6:30 p.m.
■Nov. ■ 21 - at New Trier
Tournament vs. Lincoln
long run.”
With a team of eight seniors,
and multiple starters
returning from last
year’s squad, the Ramblers,
despite the coaching
change, had lofty expectations
for themselves
starting the season. Some
of those goals included
finishing top three in the
Girls Catholic Athletic
Conference and making
it to the sectional finals
which were achieved.
The 2018 season also
marked the first time a
Loyola player, Lopez, was
named the GCAC Player
of the Year in a long time,
if ever. The award came to
a shock to the senior.
“I really didn't even
know that (Player of the
Year award) was a thing,”
she said. “Even when I
was younger, my dream
was to be known for what
I can do, and just prove
what I can do and have my
reputation precede me.
Park, 5 p.m.
Wrestling
■Nov. ■ 21 - hosts Quad
(Grayslake North, Hinsdale
South and Palatine), 10
a.m.
Caxy Athletics
Boys Basketball
■Nov. ■ 19 - at Mundelein
Tournament vs. Mundelein,
6:30 p.m.
■Nov. ■ 20 - at Mundelein
Loyola’s Mary Kate Lopez takes a swing against New
Trier earlier this season. 22nd Century Media File Photo
“It was an amazing
honor and I'm absolutely
thrilled that I won it.”
Lopez became Loyola's
first-ever Pacific-12 Conference
recruit when she
committed to play at Oregon
State University in
the summer between her
sophomore and junior
seasons.
“A lot of Loyola kids
Tournament vs. Warren, 5
p.m.
■Nov. ■ 21 - at Mundelein
Tournament vs. Deerfield,
5 p.m.
Girls Basketball
■Nov. ■ 17 - at Vernon Hills
Tournament vs. Sycamore,
4:30 p.m.
■Nov. ■ 19 - at Vernon Hills
Tournament vs. Antioch,
7:30 p.m.
■Nov. ■ 20 - at Vernon Hills
stay in the area or go East
Coast or to the Ivys,” she
said. “I wanted to be different,
and I wanted to go
big and I think Oregon
State is the perfect place
for me to do that.
“What really got me,
honestly, is that it’s such
a big program, but they're
so close.
“It's a family.”
Tournament vs. Elk Grove,
7:30 p.m.
Boys Ice Hockey
■Nov. ■ 17 - at Rolling
Meadows, 9:10 p.m.
Squash
■Nov. ■ 17 - at
METROSquash, TBD
Wildcat Athletics
Girls Basketball
■Nov. ■ 15 - at North Shore
Country Day School, 5 p.m.
Listen Up
“I’d like to improve from where I’m at right now. I
think I could do better in both races.”
Kendra Joachim — Lake Forest swimmer, on how she wants to improve
at state
tune in
Boys Basketball
The Scouts hit the court at New Trier’s seasonopening
tournament to kick off the 2018 season.
• Lake Forest vs. Butler at New Trier, Monday,
Nov. 19, 6:30 p.m.
Index
28 - Pressbox Picks
27 - Athlete of the Week
Fastbreak is compiled by Sports Editor Brittany
Kapa. Send any questions or comments to
b.kapa@22ndcenturymedia.com.