Coming off a two-set win against Highland Park, the Kits looked to keep the ball rolling and defend home court as the Deerfield Warriors traveled to Evanston for the Kits’ first conference game on Monday night.
However, the Warriors didn’t plan to back down. Deerfield defeated the kits in three suspenseful sets: 16-25, 25-22 and 24-26. After the loss, the Kits moved to 5-8 (0-1 CSL), and Deerfield advanced to 6-8 (2-0 CSL).
“We still get a little bit nervous to play at home,” said head coach Mike McDermott. “We give the other team a bit of a jump start on us and it takes us a while to settle in and get used to the crowd. And then once we get going, we’re extremely competitive.”
In the first set, both teams struggled to find a rhythm, as rallies couldn’t spark and mental errors occurred. Evanston senior Outside Hitter Frankie Taylor and Junior Setter Casey McDermott would aid the kits’ answer back with multiple kills and aces. Ultimately the kits got within two, trailing 15-13. The Warrior’s senior middle hitter Uma Schulz was the uniter and rhythm starter for Deerfield, serving Evanston trouble on the opposite end. It resulted in a first-set win for the Warriors.
“I’ve seen some really good things, our defense looks good, our blocking is getting better, our setters are doing a great job. We still struggle a bit in serve receive, and that’s really what we are going to have to be working on,” said McDermott.
With adversity blurring the kit’s vision and trailing 1-0 in the series heading into the second set, Evanston was seeking to rebound. The Kits made changes by subbing in youth players across the court.
“We did start in a different rotation, with a couple different people, so we did have a bit of a youth thing going on for us,” said McDermott. “We got some younger people in to get some more experience; that’s going to help us down the stretch.”
In a back-and-forth second set, the game plan worked in the kit’s favor. Senior outside hitter Kylie O’conner converted crucial points for Evanston. Still, the Kits found themselves down 20-19 late in the second set. But coming up with a clutch point, senior outside hitter Sarah Skey tied the set at 20-20. The kits went on to win the set, tying the series 1-1.
Despite the heavy momentum Evanston had going into the third set, the Warriors were able to get back on track, not allowing Evanston to affect their gameplay. The Kits and Warriors made it a tight game all throughout the set but Deerfield rose above and finished the third set with a match win.
“I know we have to work a lot harder because we had this one circled as a game that we were looking forward to, as one that we thought we could be super competitive and give us a chance to win,” said McDermott. “I’ll say it was a learning experience for us; We can’t take anybody lightly.
