Neuqua Valley sophomore defensive specialist Skyla Scherer knows serving can be a stressful experience, especially in tension-filled matches.
All eyes are on the server, and the play unfolds largely as a result of where and how she places the ball.
But Scherer knows how to deal with the pressure.
“I’ve played softball for nine years,” she said. “So I have always been good at tuning everything out and just focusing on getting that serve over.”
Scherer did that repeatedly during a DuPage Valley Conference clash with visiting Naperville North on Thursday. She recorded a team-high 10 service points with three aces to help the Wildcats win 25-21, 22-25, 25-15 in Naperville.
Scherer’s solid serving was infectious. Senior defensive specialist Erin Ulger had nine service points, and sophomore setter Tatum Kelly and sophomore outside hitter Alexandra Durkin had seven service points apiece. Ulger and Durkin each had two aces.
This is the first varsity season for Scherer and Ulger. Scherer was on the freshman team last season, and Ulger was a junior varsity player.
Both have made a big impact for the Wildcats (22-13, 7-3), who clinched second place in the DVC with the win over the Huskies (21-14, 6-4), one match behind Naperville Central.
“When I put them in, it gives my front-row players a chance to breath,” Neuqua Valley coach Jamie Buhnerkemper said. “So it really helps us collect ourselves. It’s been huge this year.”
Ulger is a starter, and Scherer comes off the bench. But their skills are interchangeable.
“Skyla earned her spot with her serving and then kind of brought in some serve-receive for us and really upped her game,” Buhnerkemper said. “Erin is fighting a shoulder injury, and I contemplated giving her a break this week from serving just to save her for playoffs, but she definitely came in and turned it around.”
Ulger wasn’t about to let a sore shoulder stop her from playing against the Huskies. Both teams entered the match still alive for a share of the conference title. The postseason begins next week, when fourth-seeded Neuqua Valley will play 14th-seeded host Plainfield South in a Class 4A regional semifinal at 6 p.m. Tuesday.
“I just felt like it’s my last home game,” Ulger said. “I’m a senior, so put everything out there, and I tried my best.”
Ulger’s approach to serving is similar to Scherer’s.
“I think it’s just taking your time behind that line and shutting everything else out, with the mentality of (getting it) in the court behind those lines,” Ulger said. “Skyla’s been working hard in practice, and it really shows with her defense, her serves, her serve-receive.
“She’s cheering on all her teammates. She’s got that energy.”
That energy was particularly important at the end of the second set and the start of the third set. Scherer served three straight points before Naperville North senior middle blocker Jessica Dickow closed the second set with one of her nine kills.
Scherer was at the service line again when the Wildcats reeled off five consecutive points, including two aces, to take a 5-1 lead in the third set.
“My mindset was just to, for the first point, obviously put the ball over the net,” she said. “After that, you have to keep building off the energy, and when they’re down, that’s when you have to start building up.
“You’ve got to keep pushing. The energy lifts us up to just go on and be excited for the next play.”
The Huskies, who were led by junior outside hitter Karolina Bilvinaite’s 10 kills, tied the score at 5-5. But the Wildcats got kills from six players during a closing 20-10 run.
Buhnerkemper said the Wildcats have lived and died with their serving this season. But Scherer also helped with her scrambling defensive effort that kept many long rallies alive.
“Her knowledge of the game, her serving and her first contact have all been huge for us,” Buhnerkemper said. “She’s done a wonderful job with that and even with running balls down.
“Tonight, she ran a few deep balls down. She had one that she just wasn’t getting to early in the season because she was watching the speed of the game instead of participating. She’s definitely gotten up to that speed.”
Scherer is one of six sophomores for Neuqua Valley, which has high hopes for the future.
“I’ve played with a lot of these girls since Gregory Middle School,” she said. “So I’ve been with them for a long time, and we know to keep our head down and keep working.”
But you won’t see Scherer on the softball field again.
“I’m retired,” she said.
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.