GRAYSLAKE – The eighth-grade girls volleyball team at Grayslake Middle School defeated Hawthorn South to win the Suburban Middle School Conference championship March 11 for the first time in school history.

The Panthers won, 26-24, 25-18, and had a final season record of 12-4.

“This team started the season as strong competitors, and really gelled into one unit as the season went on ...” coach Nicole Schneider said. “As the coach, I couldn’t be more  thrilled for the girls’ accomplishment of bringing the championship trophy to GMS, but what will make this season memorable is the relationships the girls formed with one another, their focused  determination, and their ability to balance a work-hard-til-we-drop-while-having-fun-all-the-way-to-the-top attitude in a way that created competitive drive and a fun team environment.”

The team is comprised of Kim Balling, Bennitt Hermsen, Brandy Heraty, Leah Mallinos, Dani Sentz, Kayleigh Brown, Char Gaunky, Hayley Peterson, Angelina Longo, Allison Szramek, Callie Ludwig, Sarah Derango and Berit Carlson.