Girls volleyball: Sisters thrive at Plainfield Central

Updated: October 31, 2011 8:24PM

Sister, Sister was the name of a television series in the 90’s. But it could also be one of the themes of the 2011 Plainfield Central volleyball team.

When the Wildcats face off against Lockport at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the semifinals of the West Aurora Sectional, they will have two sets of sisters on the court.

They are starting senior middle hitter, Erin Hyland, and starting outside hitter, freshman Elizabeth Hyland. Also starting senior middle hitter, Emily Obradovich and reserve setter, junior Jane Obradovich.

For Erin Hyland, who is the self appointed “mom” of the team, getting to play with another one of her sisters has been special.”

“I feel like an old lady,” the 4-year starter said. “I’m the middle of three sisters and I got to play with my older sister, Emily, when she came out for the team as a senior and I was a sophomore. Now I’m playing with Elizabeth.

“Growing up we were really close and it’s awesome to play together. But there’s times we can get snippy with each other and have an unfiltered connection that you can’t have with anyone else that’s not related to you.”

The Wildcats (22-15) were seeded No.9 in the sectional, and weren’t supposed to win the opening match against Metea Valley. But they did by a score of 25-22, 25-23.

“It’s pretty cool,” said Emily Obradovich of having two groups of sisters. “We are all really close and we want to keep playing together as long as we can. We want to prove to everyone that we are capable of great things.”

Central showed that with a 25-20, 25-21 win over No. 3 seed Neuqua Valley to capture the title of its own regional on Thursday. The first for the Wildcats since 2001.

“Having two sets of sisters on the team is a unique but amazing thing to have, Central coach Jessica Clark said. “While Elizabeth and Erin are 4 years apart, they almost look like twins on the court. On the other hand, Emily and Jane are one year apart and they are completely different in their communication and playing styles.

“These girls are not just great players, but they are amazing human beings with a lot of heart.”

Morris moves to sectional

Morris continues to make strides. The Redskins won their second straight regional title and third in four years, with a hard-fought 25-23, 23-25, 29-27 victory over Lincoln-Way West in the finals of the Manteno Regional.

The win improved Morris to 23-12-1 and it will play St. Francis at 6 on Tuesday in the semifinals of the Joliet Catholic Sectional.

“This is an amazing group of young women who have come together for the love of the game,” Morris coach Jackie Litwiller said. “They each truly love this sport and have brought their own personality to our team. They work hard day in and day out and have come so far from the start of the season.”

The Redskin resurgence is very good considering that they start a freshman, a sophomore, and four juniors.

The leaders are Kendall Korte with 247 kills and 271 digs; Laney Torkelson with 56 blocks and 165 kills; JoAnna Nowicki with 135 kills, 152 service points, and 152 digs; Natalie Polson with 173 service points, 518 serve receptions, and 313 digs, and Katie Chatten leads in assists with 720.

“The girls feed off of one another and push each other to do their best,” Litwiller added. “It has been so much fun being a part of what they are creating and I am so proud of each of them. They all deserve the best and are going to push each other to get as far as possible this season.

“They won the Wilmington Tourney and now have another regional title to call their own. The next level is their goal now and we are going to work hard to help them achieve that. They believe in each other and that is going to take them far.”

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