08/25/2026
🏐 Prairie Ridge’s comeback falls short against Grayslake Central in volleyball season opener
Wolves senior Adeline Grider smashes 15 kills in 19-25, 25-15, 25-21 defeat
August 24, 2026 at 9:52 pm CDT
By Alex Kantecki
Prairie Ridge’s volleyball team would have liked to win Monday’s season opener against Grayslake Central.
But the Wolves, who were unable to hold a late lead in their 19-25, 25-15, 25-21 loss to the Rams in Grayslake, are thinking big picture.
A Class 3A state tournament finalist in each of the past two years, Prairie Ridge expects to be that same free-swinging, unrelenting team again.
It just may take some time.
“Walking in, having a younger team, everyone was feeling a bit touchy and a bit nervous,” Wolves senior outside hitter Adeline Grider said. “As we got more momentum, you could tell. You could see a little bit of hints from last year.
“We really do have the potential to be that team again.”
Grider, who committed to NCAA Division I Southern Indiana just ahead of her last high school season, led all players with 15 kills. Junior outside Lauren Bruce tallied seven kills, senior libero Tegan Vrbancic led the defense with 14 digs and new setters Braelyn Berry (16) and Hailey Muench (12) each recorded double digits in assists.
Prairie Ridge (0-1) was able to shake off a slow first set and never trailed in the second. Second-year coach Leah Groat, who led the Wolves to fourth place in 3A last year, could see the rust shake off as the match went on.
“Maybe we looked a little tired or like we haven’t played volleyball at the start of the first set,” Groat said. “I thought we came out with a lot more energy (in the second set). Every time we had girls come off the court and go back on, they were doing things better than the time before. Little by little we were making improvements.”
Prairie Ridge, last year’s Fox Valley Conference runner-up (tied with Huntley) indeed has a lot of expectations to live up to, coming off back-to-back state appearances.
Last year’s Wolves also finished with 32 wins, the program’s highest total in 20 years.
“Every game is going to be like a stepping stone closer to success,” said Bruce, who is one of five returners on the Wolves with state experience. “I think we’re going to learn a lot from this and we’re going to take it into our next (match) tomorrow.
“We’re going to get better and better. I’m really excited to keep improving.”
Prairie Ridge looked to finish off its comeback and took a 17-15 lead in the third set following back-to-back hitting errors by Grayslake Central. The Wolves, however, couldn’t put away the Rams (1-0), who were led by junior Ansley Carlson with six kills and four aces.
A 5-0 run put Grayslake Central up 20-15, and Prairie Ridge never recovered.
Groat wanted to see more initiative in the final set.
“It was a great learning experience,” said Groat, whose Wolves graduated four starters from last year, including setter Addi Smith, who set the team’s single-season record with 924 assists.
“When things get tight, you can’t play tight, and we looked a little tight. We looked like we were waiting for someone to step up and make a play instead of having the confidence to know everyone on the court is capable of making a big play and changing the tone. That’s something, as we get more experience, we’ll get better.”
“As we got more momentum, you could tell. You could see a little bit of hints from last year. We really do have the potential to be that team again.” — Adeline Grider, Prairie Ridge senior
Groat felt middle blockers Sonora Bekere (three blocks) and Julia Schenher played important roles Monday.
“(Schenher) came in and immediately got a block and got us going,” Groat said. “She played the whole JV match, so she played a lot of volleyball tonight and she did a really nice job. Sonora also is more of a quiet leader, but her block timing is awesome and offensively she’s figuring it out with our new setters.”
Grider also credited Vrbancic, the McHenry County-area leader in digs last year, for helping the Wolves dig out of a slow start.
“We started making better decisions with our shots,” Grider said, “and listening to Tegan. Because she can see the court everywhere.”
Bruce said the added pressure to do big things again is a good problem to have.
“It’s definitely exciting going into the season,” Bruce said. “Having that high expectation, we want to prove to everybody, ‘Yeah, we can do it again.'”
Prairie Ridge's comeback attempt fell short against Grayslake Central in Monday's season opener, but the Wolves are excited to prove they can achieve big things once again after back-to-back Class 3A state tournament appearances.
