As one of many returning setters for Huntley, Rachael Hein is looking to expand her game in 2025 and stand out even more.

On Tuesday, the Indiana University-Pennsylvania commit showcased a skillset of more than just a setter.

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Harper Noble 2025 Huntley’s Lucy Watson (right) hirs the ball towards the black attemptt of Crystal Lake Central's Alexis Hadeler during a Fox Valley Conference volleyball match on Tuesday,Aug. 26, 2025, at Crystal Lake Central High School. (Gregory Shaver/Gregory Shaver Shaw Media )

Hein helped Huntley pull away from Crystal Lake Central in the first set with a furious service run, and the Red Raiders kicked off their season with a 25-12, 25-19 win in the teams’ Fox Valley Conference opener in Crystal Lake.

“I enjoy playing anywhere, trying new stuff and helping my team any way,” said Hein, who was one of a handful of Raiders to play on last year’s Class 4A fourth-place finisher.

“I’m here to do everything.”

Hein finished with six aces, six digs and a block for Huntley (1-0 overall, 1-0 FVC), which rattled off seven straight points in the opening set to take a 10-4 lead. Hein served six of those points, including three aces. The 5-foot-7 setter added a block later in the set as the Raiders grabbed a commanding 16-8 lead.

Huntley coach Karen Naymola believes Hein is capable of anything thrown her way.

“She’s such a key part of this team,” Naymola said. “She got a lot of experience from last year, and she does a little bit of everything. She can do everything, when we need her and where we need her. I don’t want to give away our whole game plan, but we’re utilizing all of our setters. They all contribute something that we want or need.”

Senior Abby Whitehouse (Wabash Valley) had six assists for Huntley, while senior Emily Ernst (Marist) chipped in five. Junior outside hitter Izzy Whitehouse led all attackers with 11 kills, junior middle blocker Summer Massow had four kills and a block and sophomore middle blocker Lucy Watson recorded three kills and a block, including the final two points of the first set.

Izzy Whitehouse, Naymola’s daughter, will take on a bigger role this season after the Raiders graduated nine – including 2024 Northwest Herald Girls Volleyball Player of the Year Georgia Watson, a 6-foot-3 middle blocker now at Kentucky.

Izzy Whitehouse (5-8), who is committed to play beach volleyball at Boise State, was often the first read of her setters. She had five kills in the first set and six in the second.

“She’s very smart at placing the ball,” Naymola said. “We were stressing to our hitters to just swing away. Our defense was covering our hitters so well, and it makes your job as an outside so much easier when you have that confidence.”

Izzy Whitehouse said although the Raiders might not have the same offensive power from a year ago, they’ll be able to produce offense in more creative ways.

“We might not have the most pound anymore, but I think we are a little craftier,” Whitehouse said. “It’s a lot of fun to go out and hit. It might not be the hardest hits, but just trying to be smarter with it.”

Crystal Lake Central (1-1, 0-1), which was coming off a two-set win over Marian Central on Monday, only led briefly in the second set. But the Tigers were able to keep the scoring gap much closer.

The teams were tied at 13, 14, 16 and 17 points before the Raiders pulled away.

Freshman outside hitter Clara Dobbertin led Central with five kills, senior outside hitter Alexis Hadeler had six digs, four kills and a block, sophomore setter Lily Freese posted nine assists, junior middle blocker Maya Case had four kills and freshman Jordyn Johnson had two aces.

Tigers coach Amy Johnson said the team had too many breakdowns early. She said Dobbertin and sophomore Sophie Hartz, both seeing varsity action for the first time, stood out.

“She’s going to go out there and compete,” Johnson said of Dobbertin. “She’s a fierce competitor. She has a lot of energy and takes some risks. She’s a heavy hitter, but it’s rewarding when she get that big kill for us. And I was also proud of libero Sophie Hartz. She’s never seen a varsity court in her life but she stepped in against Huntley and did a phenomenal job.”

Huntley, which has only lost three FVC matches since 2022, will look to move to 2-0 at home Thursday against Dundee-Crown.

“I feel like we just need to trust our teammates like we did last year,” Hein said. “We’re all in. We work hard everyday in practice, we’re all competitive and we’re super excited for the season.”