Can Kit Spikers Climb In CSL South Standings?

Close didn’t count for Evanston’s girls volleyball team last year in Central Suburban League South division play.

The Wildkits inched closer and were more competitive on the court against foes like Glenbrook South, Maine South, Deerfield, New Trier and Glenbrook North but couldn’t crack the victory column.

So, in an effort to improve on last year’s 14-23 won-loss mark in Mike McDermott’s first year as girls head coach, the Kits know their first hurdle to success is to climb up in the CSL South standings.

“We want to take care of business and win some of those conference games,” said McDermott prior to Monday’s season opener at home against Maine East. “Even if we could win just half of our conference games, then we could have a winning season and create more energy in the program.

“The group of freshmen we have coming in is as strong as it’s ever been here and I think the future looks bright. Now, we need to grab some conference wins.”

For the first time in program history, two of those freshmen --- 5-foot-11 Jovana Mirtchev, a right side hitter, and 5-11 Nina Williams, an outside hitter --- will open the season as varsity starters. They’ll line up with returning varsity setter Casey McDermott, the coach’s daughter, as the Wildkits play a CSL crossover versus Maine East and then travel to the Libertyville Invitational tournament on Friday and Saturday.

McDermott’s attempts to turn the program around will be bolstered if other young players are able to follow in the footsteps of Mirtchev and Williams, who played for the top team in their club (MOD) system. The absence of a truly elite club program on the North Shore has hampered the development of some Evanston-born players, even though more girls are playing club ball overall than when McDermott first joined the coaching staff 20 years ago.

The head coach’s daughter, in an attempt to hone her skills, has played the past two seasons Auora-based Sports Performance, not exactly an easy commute for any family even if they have the financial resources to make that kind of commitment.

“I think a change is happening, and hopefully we can keep that momentum going,” said the ETHS coach. “MOD is the top club here now and I think having those two freshmen up and starting on the varsity lets the whole program know that we have an expectation for them to compete at a high level.

“MOD is a combination of the D1 and Wildcat Junior programs, but those programs catered more to the girls from New Trier, Loyola, Glenbrook North and Glenbrook South. The North Shore has sorta been a vast wasteland for club volleyball. Most of the good clubs now are in the west and south suburbs. Now we’re trying to catch up. We need to find kids who are willing to look elsewhere, so they can get high level training at high level programs. That will give them the confidence they need so we can compete better against the top (high school) teams.”

McDermott is hoping that will daughter Casey --- she’s going to play at Division I Stonehill College in Massachusetts at the next level --- will connect with a new go-to hitter, or maybe more than one, in first-year hopefuls Williams and Mirtchev.

Both already have a volleyball mentality because it’s in their genes. Mirtchev’s older brother started for the Wildkit boys squad and Williams’ older sister, Norah, is a junior who will see playing time at middle blocker this fall for ETHS.

The lack of spiking success has plagued Evanston’s play dating all the way back to the only time the Wildkits qualified for the Illinois High School Association state tournament, back in 2008, when they finished fourth. The ability to put away kills on a consistent basis would make it much easier for a program that has had to rely on fundamentals and solid defensive play to stay in matches against more offensive-minded foes.

“It’s definitely a first for us to have two freshmen starting,” noted McDermott. “And they already know what they’re doing out there because of their (club) experience. For us to be able to score some points with our hitters like them, to get some blocks for points and serve for points, they have to believe in each other. That’s a big hurdle for a lot of them --- deep down --- and they SHOULD believe in themselves because they’ve all worked so hard.

“Nina is already the top outside hitter in our program when you look at her technique, her consistency and confidence. Jovana is still growing (her brother measured 6-4) and she has a real knack for the game. She’ll be exciting to watch.”

The Wildkits hope either senior Vivian Mitchell or senior Azalea Steiger-Smith will emerge at the other hitting slot after they couldn’t take advantage of starting opportunities a year ago, at least on a full-time basis. Sharing the middle will be senior Jazmyn White-Pratt, and juniors Ingrid Sylvestre and Norah Williams.

After employing four different liberos at the varsity level last season, McDermott is looking for senior Siena Bowen, sophomore Amelie Soriano, senior CeCe Livatino or senior Veronica Hayes to nail down the starting job. Soriano’s inexperience is balanced out by the best serve receive skills in that group.