Spikers Still Waiting For A Leader To Emerge

At the midway point of the girls high school volleyball season, Evanston head coach Mike McDermott is still waiting for a leader to emerge.

That hasn’t happened yet. But once it does happen, the Wildkits have the talent --- especially in the sophomore class --- to reverse a losing culture.

The Kits could have used some more leadership Monday night at Beardsley Gymnasium. They lost by a 25-18, 25-17 margin to New Trier in a renewal of the rivalry that the Trevians have completely dominated over the past two decades.

No one on the current ETHS roster was even born the last time the Kits beat the Trevians.

Of course, with a roster that features only four seniors, one junior, seven sophomores and even a couple of freshmen, McDermott is fielding one of the youngest teams in program history --- and probably in the state of Illinois as well.

The one-sidedness of the matchups with New Trier means the Trevians don’t even consider it a rivalry anymore. But on the positive side, the Wildkits were coming off their first Central Suburban League victory last week (against Niles West) since the COVID 19 years.

They’ve definitely taken a step in the right direction despite the outcome Monday.

Evanston played better in the second set against New Trier, a pattern McDermott’s young squad has followed most of the season on their way to a 9-15 won-loss record overall.

McDermott knows the best is yet to come. But the veteran mentor also knows the learning curve is different for each underclassman.

And the leadership issue is still there. The ETHS coaching staff hasn’t designated a team captain this year, playing the waiting game for a leader to move to the forefront in a sport where communication on and off the court is vital.

“We’re a team that’s just all over the place right now,” said the Evanston coach. “We tend to struggle when we’re playing on our home court, for whatever reason, and we just haven’t come together enough as a team yet to defend our home court and not allow other teams to come in here and bully us.

“We have to learn to play with more of a chip on our shoulder. We are too nice. We’re playing a lot of sophomores, and they haven’t found the drive and grit to do everything they can to go out there and help the team win. We don’t have any captains because we have no one out there willing to grab that leadership role and run with it.

“But I think we are improving every game. Our passing is better than it was at the start of the season, and so is our serving. The kids understand their roles better and they’re working hard to get better in those roles. We still need an aggressive leader, someone who will drive the others, because we have a lot of potential.”

Monday’s starting lineup featured senior Norah Williams, junior Amelie Soriano, sophomores Jovana Mirtchev, Nina Williams and Maeve Walts, along with recently promoted freshman Jane Sullivan. But the hosts never got untracked on offense, with six of their points coming via New Trier’s missed serves, as the Trevians cruised to a 25-18 triumph.

In the second set, Nina Williams delivered three kills and freshman Chiara Hauser added three off the bench, but ETHS never got closer than six points after New Trier pulled away to an early 12-3 advantage.

Sullivan, a 6-foot outside hitter, was one of four freshmen who McDermott took to a tournament in downstate Williamsville to gain some experience and has worked her way into a starting role.

She’s also a catcher who could make an impact in the ETHS softball program in the spring.

“Jane is the one who’s the most ‘court ready’ among the freshmen,” praised McDermott. “She can play the front row and she can play in the back row, too. She’s aggressive, and she’ll go for the ball when others are standing there watching. She has such a great attitude, and I know she’ll be a very important part of our program moving forward.

“For a lot of them, this is their first (varsity) high school season, and the high school season is a long haul compared to club volleyball,” McDermott added. “I think we’re making good progress as a team. I’m super happy with our growth, and I just have to remind myself sometimes that it’s a multi-year process with this group.”