Woodstock North has not been blessed with lots of height in recent seasons.

In volleyball, that can be a major disadvantage when you’re constantly looking up to players on the other side of the net.

The Thunder, though, don’t seem bothered.

On Monday night, North did what no other KRC team has done since the start of 2023, beating Richmond-Burton in two sets to end the Rockets’ 32-match win streak in conference play.

With the victory, the Thunder moved to 5-0 in the KRC to take sole possession of first place. North (8-3, 6-0) defeated Sandwich in two sets on Wednesday.

North’s tallest player (senior middle blocker Alyssa Martin) is listed at 6-foot, but other than 5-9 sophomore Ava Kardaras, who led everyone with nine kills Monday, the Thunder do not have a player taller than 5-8.

Senior setter Gabby Schefke (5-6), a three-year starter, said she takes pride in her team’s ability to succeed despite their small flaw.

“It’s been really fun to have everybody back together again,” said Schefke, who had 643 assists, 84 aces and 177 digs last year. “Trusting each other is the main thing, and communication. That’s been a really big part of what we need to do with having undersized players.

“We need to be on.”

Although a KRC title has eluded the Thunder the past two seasons, they’ve been one of the area’s most successful teams, with a school-record 30 wins in 2022 and four straight regional titles. R-B has won the past two KRC titles, but North won three in a row from 2020 to 2022.

First-year coach Rebekah Sellek said Schefke and senior libero Maddie Sofie (5-2) have made her transition to head coach a lot smoother as the Thunder look to take back the KRC.

“She is very confident in her role and she does not hold back in helping some of the underclassmen out as far as what needs to be done while they’re out there,” Sellek said of Schefke, a three-year varsity player. “And that’s what we need. We can’t always rely on the coach to run things. We need somebody on the court running that, and that’s what she does.

“Between her and Maddie, they do a good job of running things. We just needed [Sofie] her to keep her cool [against R-B], and that’s what she did. We knew they were going to come out swinging because we know what kind of hitters they have. She got herself to every ball and made them playable for us.”

Langanis welcomes change: After resigning as Cary-Grove’s head coach at the end of last season, Patty Langanis initially had plans to be an assistant coach at Crystal Lake Central under Amy Johnson, who played for Langanis in high school and previously coached with her at C-G.

But the super successful coach at C-G, where Langanis collected 736 career wins (25th most in IHSA history, just ahead of former Prairie Ridge coach Stefanie Otto with 726) over 30 seasons and led the Trojans to three Class 4A state tournament berths, found an opening not far from Cary, becoming the coach at Dundee-Crown in Carpentersville.

“Parents started reaching out from Dundee-Crown,” said Langanis, who led the Trojans to a Class 4A state championship in 2009 and back-to-back runner-up finishes in 2010 and 2011. “I didn’t think I was done being a head coach. I just love doing it.”

Dundee-Crown finished ninth in the Fox Valley Conference in 2023 and 2024, but already the Chargers are showing signs of improvement with Langanis leading the way.

Dundee-Crown has already matched its FVC win total from last year (three), with victories against McHenry (the team’s season opener), Jacobs and C-G, Langanis’ old team.

The Chargers have a young team led by sophomore hitters Erin Bruce and Tori Brents, along with the conference’s digs leader from last year in senior Maura Minogue.

Langanis has set high expectations and players have responded.

“We really want to make a dent in the Fox Valley, and we have some goals in the state tournament,” Langanis said. “I really hope that we can get this team to get a mindset [of winning]. It’s not easy, coming from Cary-Grove that’s been losing these last couple of years. Once that hits you in the head of being at the bottom of the Fox Valley, which is such a terribly tough conference, it’s just getting them to believe in themselves and having that confidence when they walk out on the floor.

“I think that’s what I’m passionate about right now. Knowing that we’re so young, it makes me super excited for the next couple of years.”

Hampshire takes early lead in FVC: Hampshire felt it let a big opportunity get away last season. The Whip-Purs believed they had the talent to win the 10-team FVC but fell short with some late-season losses, tying for fourth as Huntley earned its fourth FVC title in a row.

Through Wednesday, the Whips are the last undefeated team remaining in the FVC at 7-0, while Huntley and Prairie Ridge are each 6-1. Hampshire beat Prairie Ridge in their first of two regular-season meetings already. Hampshire and Huntley will see each other Tuesday to wrap up the first half of FVC play.

That match will go a long way in determining the conference champion.

Hampshire is led by outside hitter Elizabeth King (Illinois-Chicago commit), setter Kylie Lambert (Arkansas Tech), middle blocker Anna Schiltz (Morehead State) and libero Peyton Wurtz, all seniors.

“They’re kind of out to prove it this year,” said second-year coach Omar Cortez, who led the Whips to 29 wins and a Class 4A regional title last year. “But still a lot of work to do. We’ve got great competition in this conference, so it’s about looking onto the next one, one game at a time.”