Outside hitter Bobbi Wire and setter Nora Wiggs were the catalysts for Crystal Lake South during Thursday evening’s Fox Valley Conference volleyball match at McHenry, where the two juniors connected on several points to lead the Gators to a dominant victory against the Warriors.

The IU-Indianapolis recruit Wire led all players with 10 kills, while Wiggs sent out 13 assists as Crystal Lake South picked up its second win in two days, cruising for a 25-6, 25-10 victory over McHenry. The Gators (2-1, 1-1 FVC), who topped Grayslake Central on Wednesday night, opened the match on a 6-0 run, taking advantage of consistent corner serves to fluster the back line of the Warriors (0-2, 0-2 FVC).

“It’s definitely a big confidence booster,” Wire said. “Hopefully we can keep going. During practice, we work really hard and we take it very seriously. Before the season, [Nora] had never set for me and I had never hit off of her sets, so we take accountability in practice and make sure we get 100 percent of our reps in. We’re close outside of school too, so I think that’s been a big thing for us.”

McHenry struggled on the serve receive throughout the first set, with the Gators capitalizing on multiple receiving errors to score 15 of the first 16 points in the match. Crystal Lake South, who led by as many as 18 points in the first set, racked up five service aces in the set, most of which came from junior outside hitter Olivia Kouretsos, who had four in the match.

“We talked before the match and we knew they had some big swingers on the other side,” Wire said. “We wanted to make sure we kept them out of their system. Even if we missed out spot, we were being aggressive because we wanted to take out some of their weapons. They have a really good middle, but we knew that if we served aggressively, we would have opportunities to build on.”

Needing a spark after conceding a lopsided opening set, McHenry’s defense kept more balls in the air during the second set, where middle hitters Teage Wings and Lily Ahrens combined for three blocks. The Warriors kept pace with Crystal Lake South early in the set, but key kills from right side hitter Anna Hougas allowed the Gators to build a 10-6 lead and force McHenry head coach Alex Muschong to call timeout.

The Warriors were unable to stall Crystal Lake South’s surging momentum, however, as the Gators took advantage of a lengthy service rally by libero Layla Addison to take control of the second set. With Addison pinning several serves into the back left corner of the McHenry defensive zone, Crystal Lake South scored 10 straight points and forced another Warrior timeout with the Gators leading 18-7.

“We’re a really close and tight group,” Wire said. “The connections we’re building are the biggest reason why we’re succeeding. We’re taking practice seriously and going at it 100 percent of the time. That’s translated to our games.”

A McHenry hitting error clinched the match victory for the Gators, who are welcoming back head coach Jorie Fontana for her 15th year after a three-year break. Despite a sub-.500 record, Crystal Lake South emerged as IHSA 3A regional champions last season, knocking off Crystal Lake Central in a three-set thriller. The Gators will be counting on returning players like Wire and Hougas, who recorded five kills on Thursday, to make a return to the regional finals.

“We want to do the best we can and be more confident and positive throughout the season,” Wire said. “Last year, we got down on ourselves a lot after a loss and that carried over to the next game. This team is really positive and we want to make sure we focus on staying positive no matter what.”