For three seasons, Alyssa Teske and Kiera King have been a tandem of trouble on the right side for Lincoln-Way Central’s opponents.
When Teske sets, King hits. When King sets, Teske hits. Together, they help give Knights coach Mary Brown one of the Southland’s most productive 6-2 offenses.
“They’re just like Frick and Frack,” Brown said. “They really work so well together.”
King, however, came down with the flu on Friday. She wasn’t available Saturday for host Lincoln-Way Central at the Autumn Knights Tournament in New Lenox.
Uh-oh.
“Her Frick was going to be gone,” Brown said. “Alyssa had to figure out how she was going to do it solo. When I told her, she just shook her head, smiled and said, ‘Yeah, yeah.’
“You could see in her eyes that she was like, ‘What in the world?’ We scrambled a little bit, but it was evident to us that she’s such a good player and so smart. We said, ‘Let’s just play a 5-1 and let her do what she can in the front row.'”
Teske excelled running a 5-1 offense. In three matches, she had 50 assists, 13 kills, 12 digs and five blocks as the Knights (25-9) took third place.
“I’m super proud of her,” Brown said. “She never got nervous, never got frustrated. You could tell she was a little winded because she wasn’t used to setting the entire game. But she was phenomenal.”
Teske was at her best during an 18-25, 25-19, 25-23 victory over Lockport. The 5-foot-9 junior had 22 assists, six digs and three blocks.
It helped the Knights turn the tables on the Porters, who won a Sept. 20 meeting in a 25-23, 23-25, 25-18 thriller.
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“We started off rough this time because we’d had a superlong break,” Teske said. “But we knew we could beat them, especially from the last time we played them in conference.
“We got ourselves together and told ourselves we could do it. Then we went out there and did what we had to do to win. At the end, I was exhausted, but I did all that I could to finish. I can rest now.”
The Teske-King combo was created during their freshman year, when both were brought up to the varsity shortly after the start of the season.
When Teske came to Lincoln-Way Central, she had been primarily a setter in club.
“I knew that my main focus was setting, but when I had the option to, I loved to swing,” Teske said. “I didn’t imagine myself in a 6-2 with Kiera and going all the way around setting and swinging.
“It’s nice to see how all of the hard work has paid off. We can be two leaders out there on the court and get points for everyone.”
For the season, Teske has 414 assists, 168 kills, 154 digs and 35 blocks. Her swing can be superb, but often it’s subtle.
“I’m not always the most powerful hitter, but I know where the open spots are on the other side of the court,” Teske said. “Part of my game is outsmarting the other team.
“I look for the corners and open spots, and it’s an easy point. Sometimes all you need is a quick side out to get the momentum back in a game.”
On Saturday, the Knights needed a quick-change artist to run the show.
“It was nerve-wracking because it’s a hard role, but I was confident,” Teske said. “It was real exciting because I basically got to run the court the entire time, all six rotations.”
If only for one day.
“It’ll be nice to have Kiera back,” Teske said, laughing. “I won’t have to run around so much.”