Hannah Fleming gives Libertyville an edge in her first varsity season — and in a key win against Warren: ‘She’s ready for the big time, and she’s playing big-time.’

Libertyville’s Hannah Fleming often makes leaping plays on the court.

The sophomore outside hitter also is making big leaps in her career.

After playing on the freshman team during the abbreviated spring season earlier this year, Fleming earned a promotion to the varsity and has established herself as a vital player during the Wildcats’ late-season turnaround.

“Everyone was welcoming to me on varsity,” Fleming said. “The girls have been really nice. It’s been great so far, and we’ve been playing well as a team. I’ve been working hard in practice, to get on the court and try to help our team win.”

Fleming was one of the players at the center of Libertyville’s stunning comebacks against Warren on Wednesday night.

In a nearly packed gym, Fleming sparked the Wildcats with six kills and two aces in a 25-22, 25-22 win in a pivotal North Suburban Conference match.

In each game, the Wildcats (16-11, 5-1) trailed by at least four points, including a 17-10 deficit in the second game. The Blue Devils (21-13, 5-1) led for 95% of the match but couldn’t hold off hard-charging Libertyville.

Just when Warren looked to be on the verge of forcing a third game, Fleming kick-started the second comeback. She pounded a crucial kill to cut Warren’s lead to 21-20. Sophomore setter Jaimie Marquardt, who had five assists and four aces, closed out the match with three aces in a row.

Libertyville coach Greg Loika said Fleming and junior outside hitter Keira Kasten, who had a team-high seven kills, are forming a strong hitting combination that bodes well for the Wildcats. Fleming also delivered an ace to knot the score at 14-14 in the first game.

“As far as Hannah’s outside skills, she’s the yin to Keira’s yang,” Loika said. “When they are both on and swinging hard and high, we become pretty tough to stop. In the other matches when we’ve had a lot of success, we’re pretty balanced. She brings that to the floor when she’s being aggressive.

“Hannah’s also an amazing six-rotation player. She passed well and made a big swing and pass at the end today. She’s shown she’s ready for the big time, and she’s playing big time.”

The Wildcats’ comeback stopped the Blue Devils from earning a rare sweep of Stevenson and Libertyville in the same season, according to Warren coach Yun Chen.

Junior outside hitter Lauren Shaw was a force for the Blue Devils, finishing with nine kills and seven digs. Junior GabriElle Brewer recorded three straight aces to give the Blue Devils a 18-14 lead in the first game and finished with 20 digs and four aces.

The Blue Devils have lost four of five matches entering their regular-season finale against Lake Forest on Oct. 20, falling to Edwardsville (21-5), Plainfield Central (15-11) and Minooka (13-13).

“We’ve been stressing that our season starts in the 36th match — the playoffs,” Chen said. “The first 35 matches are working toward getting us ready. It would’ve been nice winning conference and tournaments, but we have to be ready for the playoffs.

“We have to focus on taking care of the match within the match when the playoffs start. We have a little break, will get some practice and get ready for Lake Forest and the playoffs.”

Bob Narang is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.

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