Although girls volleyball racked up their first win in over two weeks against Lake Forest on Tuesday night, the Kits came up short a day later on senior night against Deerfield, 15-25, 15-25.
Riding a six-game win streak into Beardsley Gym, Deerfield (19-7, 5-4 CSL) was simply too much for Evanston (4-22, 0-8 CSL) to handle from the very start. The Warriors’ outside hitters, led by seniors Addison Hooker and Makayla Weissenberg, relentlessly pounded kill after kill throughout the match, which overwhelmed the Kits.
“I’m honestly a little bit shocked about the loss,” head coach Paris McFall said. “We played so well last night against Lake Forest. “I think the atmosphere of senior night threw us off our usual pregame agenda and unfocused us a little bit. We just weren’t as focused tonight.”
Deerfield jumped out to nearly double-digit leads in both sets, leaving the Kits with the task of playing from behind. McFall emphasized that his team needs to put itself in a better position by starting games stronger, especially in Evanston’s upcoming tournament this weekend at Glenbard East.
“We have to be locked in and be intentional with what we’re doing. We need to bring more energy and intensity into this weekend,” McFall stated. “It’s going to be how we compete from the start.”
Wednesday night marked the final time Evanston’s group of four seniors—Isa De Los Reyes, Annika Stewart, Margot Van Nice, and Greer Rutter—will take the floor at Beardsley. For De Los Reyes, senior night was a sentimental experience.
“Playing in Beardsley tonight was amazing,” said an emotional De Los Reyes. “No one wants to lose on senior night, but [our team] is always trying to pick each other up, which is so important in a team sport like this. The environment and team culture and chemistry that we have built this year has been great. We just need to lock in the rest of the season.”
Following the Autumnfest tournament this weekend, Evanston will head to New Trier and Glenbrook South for their final two regular season games next week. The Kits already have their IHSA regional semifinal set against Niles West on Tuesday, Oct. 24 at 5:00 p.m.
