Carmel, St. Francis to Meet for Sectional Title

Grayslake North girls volleyball coach, Jim Sarver had done his homework. "That big girl is going to Marshall,''' Sarver said. "She's a Division I talent." That big girl is named Anna Calcagno. She plays outside hitter for St. Francis. On Monday night, she had 10 kills, 5 digs and 2 blocks. Sarver's team had the quick start, however. With Abby Cunningham at the serving line, a kill from Alyssa Gerzel and a block from Emma Hochstein gave the Knights a 6-2 lead. There were 7 ties in the first set but St. Francis eventually dominated and will advance to Wednesday night's Class 3A sectional final against top-seeded Carmel after a 25-17, 25-14 win over the best team in school history at Grayslake North. "That should be an exciting match,'' Calcagno predicted of Wednesday's title match. Calcagno ended the early surge by softly putting the ball over the net. The last tie in the opening set was 16-16. Katlyn Sipes was at the serving line for the Spartans. Calcagno put down a block and kill and St. Francis was up front. Sierra Zygmunt was next at the line. She used a block from Olivia Hojnicki and a kill from Kennedy Riggs to end the set. There was one tie in the second set. It was at 5-5. St. Francis setter Natalie Ingold (19 assists, 6 digs) likes her position. "I like to help my team,'' she noted. With Ingold at the serving line, she registered an ace and St. Francis (27-12) was up 13-8. Calcagno was at the serving line when the match concluded. She notched a pair of aces and even had a kill. St. Francis coach Lisa Ston watched her Wednesday night foe in the first match. Carmel is the No. 1 seed; Ston's team is No. 2 "They are very good on offense,'' Ston said of the Corsairs. Please click on link below to read more… https://www.dailyherald.com/sports/20191104/girls-volleyball-carmel-st-francis-to-meet-for-sectional-title