Lyons Township Lions

AT A GLANCE
Conference West Suburban Silver
Home Court Lyons Township north campus, 100 S. Brainard, La Grange
Last year’s record 26-14 (5-1, 2nd in West Suburban Silver)
Coach Joann Pyritz

Top returners
Rachel Levitt sr. OH
Jamie Lundstrom jr. L
Lisa Wronski sr. S/H
Katie Bazzoni jr. MH
Marueen Stroka jr. OH

Key newcomers
Alexis Viliunas fr. S
Larua Williams so. OH
Jocelyn Birks so. S/H
Erin Juley so. S/H
Megan Miller fr. DS

KEY MATCHES
Sept. 9 at Hinsdale Central The Lions open their conference season with a tough test early and on the road.
Oct. 14 at Downers Grove North The past couple of conference championships have come out of this game.
Oct. 22 at Mother McAuley LT gets a pre-playoff match with the team which has traditionally been a thorn in its side come playoff time.

WHAT TO WATCH
The Lions are going for a youth movement this year, but it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re giving up on the season, either. They have played in a Supersectional in four straight years and have no thoughts of letting that streak end.
“I don’t know why not,” Pyritz said. “We have a lot of pieces we can put in and into different positions, where last year, everyone was kind of set with where they were. I think we’re at least three deep at every position and we have a lot of pieces we can use in the puzzle.”
The Lions are going to go with a freshman setter this year in Viliunas, and will have several other freshmen and sophomores who see a considerable amount of playing time. Levitt is the only senior coming back with much varsity experience, with Wronski seeing a bit of playing time, as well. Juniors Lundstrom and Stroka were mid-season callups last year who stuck and will also be looked to for experience and leadership.
The Lions fell to Downers Grove North last year in three games, losing the West Suburban Silver title in the process. The Lions are ready to reclaim their throne and hope to break the four-year losing streak in Supersectional contests.

COACH SPEAK
Joann Pyritz
What is your outlook for this year with such a young team? Seeing we have so many youngsters, it’s kind of a work in progress. The last time we had a freshman starting the season up on varsity, it was Sarah Potts in 1999. I’ve never had three freshman up on varsity before. The first thing we need to do is make sure they all get along well becasue with the age difference of having some 14-year-olds and some 18-year-olds, that’s not a big difference in the adult world, but it is when you’re that age.
Why go with such a young team now? A lot of it has to do with the fact that they have an ability that’s higher than people in their own class. We had a lot of seniors graduate last year and needed to fill those spots. I felt that this was the year to do it. We are skating on thin ice with a 14-year-old setter, but she’s going to have to play smarter than her chronological age.
What do you think the strength of the team is? I think our depth and our all-around skill. Right off the bat, the fact that they were all accepting of each other with such a big age difference between some of them, that was big. These kids also all have the ability to improve.