Crystal Lake South went into Tuesday’s Fox Valley Conference showdown against Crystal Lake Central with a chip on its shoulder, despite its record.

The Gators, who won a Class 3A regional championship last year by upsetting their crosstown rivals, were up to the challenge.

Led by junior Bobbi Wire’s match-leading 10 kills, South stormed back in the second set to sweep Central 25-17, 25-23 at Gator Alley and split the regular-season series.

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Crystal Lake South’s Bobbi Wire tries to save the ball against Crystal Lake Central in varsity volleyball at Crystal Lake South High School in Crystal Lake on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025. (Patrick Kunzer for Shaw Local/Patrick Kunzer for Shaw Local)

“We want to show people that we’re here for a reason,” said Bobbi Wire, an Indiana University-Indianapolis commit who stirred up the home crowd with seven of her 10 kills in the opening set. “We won regionals last year and we want to show that we’re still that program, but just different players.”

An error-filled first set for Central (13-12, 6-7 FVC) opened the door for South (9-10, 6-7), which gladly took advantage. The Tigers made six service errors in the opening set as the Gators turned a 12-11 deficit into a 16-12 lead.

Wire took over and delivered three consecutive kills during the five-point run for the Gators. The 5-foot-7 Wire proved difficult to slow down, something FVC teams have seen a lot during her first three years. She entered her junior season just shy of 400 career kills, including 267 last fall.

Wire is also one of the team’s top defenders, as evidenced by her gritty play on the court. Wire has had numerous matches with double-digit digs, and although Tuesday wasn’t one of them, she made her defensive plays count.

“With Bobbi, I talk about the entire game with her. That dig she had at the end was a huge turning point when they’re swinging hard and you’re still getting balls up,” South coach Jorie Fontana said of Wire, who had 516 digs her first two seasons.

“But then at the net, the fact that she can work some magic up there. Sometimes those sets can be all over the place and she’s adjusting and finding no open spots but still putting the ball down to make a statement. She’s just a huge personality and huge leader for our team.”

Wire’s energy was matched by her teammates, especially sophomore middle blocker Sahara Okirika, who recorded three kills, two blocks and two aces. Okirika had a key block in the second set on Central senior outside hitter Alexis Hadeler, which at the time cut the Tigers’ lead from 18-12 to 18-16.

Wire said Okirika’s style of play is right up her alley.

“She comes out of nowhere and just kills the ball,” Wire said. “I mean, that’s my favorite type of teammate to play with. She’s so aggressive. Even when it’s a tight ball, I know she’s swinging.”

“You work hard to get your middles involved as much as possible, but Sahara made a point to make herself a focus tonight,” Fontana said. “It was in all kinds of things, from getting touches at the net to slowing down a very quick, very good offense, to – you know – she had a point where she had to cover her own ball, then transition off and get back up there. She worked the entire thing.”

South ended the match on a 13-7 run, tying the match at 22-22 on back-to-back kills from junior Joanna Kruzolek (five kills, seven digs). Central went up 23-22 on a service error by South, but immediately gave the lead back on back-to-back errors.

South junior setter Nora Wiggs (13 assists) ended the match with an ace. Junior libero Layla Addison led the defense with 11 digs, trailed closely by senior Maddy Cook with 10.

“I think our energy was really big,” Okirika said. “We knew the game wasn’t over, so we weren’t giving up. We were still fighting to get back in there. We just had a different mindset.”

Central was led by senior middle blocker Emily Mazza with eight kills and three blocks in what Tigers coach Amy Johnson called her best match of the season. Freshman outside hitter Jordyn Johnson had two aces and two blocks, and sophomore Reilly McArdle led the team with eight digs.

Amy Johnson said too many errors doomed the Tigers.

“We just could not find the court, like error city. Serves, attacks, all that stuff,” she said. “... I think I would just like to see a little more fight and heart. It was a little bit of a lull out there tonight, which was a little disheartening. I think, at times, when we start getting frustrated, we got quiet out there and everyone started playing in their own little world as opposed to playing together.”