On the first day of October, Homewood-Flossmoor’s Kymora Scott had 12 kills to beat Sandburg.
On the final day of October, the Wisconsin-bound junior outside hitter came up with seven kills, two aces, three digs and a block as the Vikings topped Sandburg for the regional title.
What does she have against the Eagles?
“This school is used to losing to Sandburg,” Scott said of H-F. “I know we lost to them last year in the regionals. We didn’t play to the fullest of our potential. We crumbled under pressure. I thought about that every day, and I just wanted to get them back.
“We were patiently waiting for it, and we did it.”
The host Vikings definitely did Thursday night, downing Sandburg 25-19, 25-12 in the Class 4A Homewood-Flossmoor Regional championship match.
Cal State Bakersfield recruit LaDonna Trantham led H-F (27-7) with 13 kills, while Frances Smith contributed six kills and Skylar Skinner added 27 assists and two aces.
Ava Troy tallied four kills for Sandburg (16-18). Katie Collopy and Lizzie Boertlein each had three. Bella Maras had two blocks. The loss snapped a streak of 19 straight regional titles for the Eagles.
The fourth-seeded Vikings take on top-seed Mother McAuley (33-4), two-time defending state champion, at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the Marist Sectional semifinals in Chicago.
The 6-foot-2 Scott has developed into a dangerous weapon for the Vikings. With a season-ending injury to Clemson commit Ihuoma Ozoh early in the year, she has played all over the court.
“She’s been bouncing back and forth from outside to right side,” H-F coach Bob St. Leger said of Scott. “She originally was a middle but we had the injury. She wasn’t getting the ball as much as we wanted, so we made that shift about 10 or 12 games into the season and we’ve been rolling.
“She’s doing a great job, but she hasn’t even touched her potential yet.”
Scott’s connection with national powerhouse Wisconsin was unique as well. She wasn’t on any big-time college’s radar screen, but that changed in March. She was playing with Frankfort-based Xtreme Performance in a national qualifier at the Indianapolis Convention Center.
According to badgerextra.com, head coach Kelly Sheffield dropped what he was doing and walked 20 minutes from one court to a corner court where Xtreme and Scott were playing after an assistant coach noticed her.
“I was kind of an underground player and coach Kelly scouted me, and after that, he came to a practice,” Scott said. “I committed June 15, the day when I was eligible.
“When I committed, people were like, ‘Who is this player?’’’
Around H-F, people know who Scott is.
“I love that she’s very versatile and that she takes any challenge that comes against her,” Trantham said. “She’s calm and poised on the court.
“Even if she is messing up, she just keeps going at it and shows a lot of resilience. When she is on, she is unstoppable. When she is in her zone, no one is stopping her.”
The Vikings hope everyone will be in the zone for the challenge of facing Mother McAuley.
“McAuley is No. 1 or No. 2 in the state, so I’m excited,” Trantham said. “I’m ready to see what our team can bring and what their team can bring.”
Scott has been bringing it since she started playing volleyball in fifth grade at Trinity Lutheran School in Tinley Park. She has loved the sport ever since.
“I was always the tallest on the team, so I stood out,” she said, “I’ve always loved the adrenaline rush and the friendships you make along the way.
“The sport can mold you not just as a volleyball player but as a person for life.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
