Girls volleyball: Keelyn Muell, Yorkville wins in three sets over Lincoln-Way West

YORKVILLE – The 2022 version of Yorkville volleyball is still evolving. But one thing is clear: senior standout Keelyn Muell is like a Swiss Army knife who can accomplish a multitude of tasks and cut through opposing teams.

Muell’s versatility was on full display Thursday evening, as she provided a well-rounded 12 assists, eight kills, seven service points, three aces and thee blocks, leading the Foxes to a 25-19, 24-26, 25-16, home-court victory over a scrappy ballclub from Lincoln-Way West.

“I can’t take all the credit, because I have unbelievable teammates that help me perform at my best,” Muell said. “I’m fortunate that I can both set and then hit off the feeds of two other amazing setters on this team.

“I feel very lucky to have this type of situation where I can help us succeed in different roles.”

Muell did receive a lot of help from sophomore Charlee Young (14 digs, 10 kills, six points, two aces), junior Claire Knoll (six kills, four assists, four digs) and junior Kayla Dudek (11 assists, five digs).

But it was Muell who was firing on all cylinders in every facet of her game, sparking Yorkville to its first victory of the young season.

“Keelyn definitely is the core of this year’s team, and she’s shown over the last few years her great leadership with how hard she works,” YHS coach Lisa Molek said. “I believe she’s one of the top players in our conference, in our area, and she sure led us tonight in a tough match.”

Yorkville (1-1) led from start to finish in game one, owning a substantial 18-11 advantage after a six-point service run by Knoll. But the Warriors (0-1) fought back with an 8-3 rally off the strength of five straight serve winners and an ace from senior Emma Ronaldson (26 digs) to cut the gap to 21-19.

However, Muell was up to the task, towing the service line and reeling off four straight tallies including two aces, the last on set point.

“I was just trying to keep the ball in play with my serve, and Coach Molek was giving me zones to hit,” Muell said. “I hit a couple of them, and I just knew we needed the win to get us started.”

In set two, Yorkville maintained a decent advantage for most of the proceedings, owning a 23-18 lead before LWW mounted a strong comeback.

The Warriors embarked on a furious 8-1 rally which closed out set two after sophomore sensation Caroline Smith (seven kills, four blocks, six points, three aces) registered a middle kill to give the visitors a 25-24 lead and then a stuff block on set point that evened the match at one game apiece.

“We’re fighters, we’re scrappy, but we’re very young as a team, and yet I was proud of the way we rallied back in the second set,” LWW coach Kendall Villa said. “Caroline is a genuine athlete, and as a sophomore she plays at a high level. Tonight she really did give us a spark in that second set.

“But Yorkville’s a very good team, and they showed that taking the match in the third game.”

As in the first set, the Foxes built a big lead and never were headed.

With Young serving, the sophomore gave her squad a 10-4 lead after her own mid-court kill followed by a Muell right-side winner and Young’s deftly placed ace. Knoll would follow soon thereafter with a four-point service run and two aces that put Yorkville in front 17-8.

The Warriors did cut the gap to 24-16 before Knoll ended the proceedings with a right-side kill after the serve of Young.

“In addition to what Keelyn did tonight, I think my sophomore Charlee Young did a great job playing all the way around,” Molek said. “She’s definitely a player that’s going to continue to develop in this program and was a key to our win tonight.”

Despite the loss, sophomore Laney Tuttle added an eye-popping 29 digs for the Warriors.