This past weekend the Girls Volleyball Team traveled to Champaign for the annual Champaign Centennial Charger Invite featuring numerous competitive teams from around the region. The Scouts left Friday after school and began their weekend play Saturday morning. The all-day tournament required a lot of focus and grit from the Scouts, and they delivered.

The action began Saturday morning with two pool games for the Scouts. In the first game of the tournament, the team took the court against the Morton Potters, an experienced, senior heavy team. With the odds against them, Lake Forest came out strong against the talented Potters. The Scouts were led by sophomore Caroline Graham and junior Alyssa Thrash who raised the energy by creating major plays. Lake Forest secured the first match, winning 25-23. Lake Forest came out excited, and their play reflected it. The Scouts began their next match and hit a few hot streaks, but it wasn’t enough to secure a win. Lake Forest lost to the Potters in a close three game series. The Scouts faced off against Mahomet-Seymour in their second pool game. Coming off a heartfelt loss, the Scouts started the game slow and could not find the energy to recover. They lost to Mahomet-Seymour in two games.

As the pool games commenced, Lake Forest looked to raise the level of their play for the next three games. The Scouts were able to roll through the rest of the tournament and won the last three games in straight sets. Defeating Rantoul 25-21, 25-13, handling Rockford East 25-10, 25-11, and finishing off Tinley Park 25-22, 25-18. The Scouts defense was led by libero sophomore Kelly McCaskey and junior Soraya Burton who added numerous digs throughout the weekend.

With a rough start to the weekend, the Scouts were able to come back and win their last three games, giving them confidence and experience headed into the rest of the season. Tonight the Scouts take on New Trier at 6 p.m. Go Scouts!