Geneva’s Emma Peterson knew that an opportunity awaited her in her first varsity season.
With the way things went in Peterson’s second varsity match, the sophomore outside hitter’s view may have switched pretty quickly from that of being a rookie starter to a budding star.
She was hoping to make an impact, but did she even expect this much of an impact?
“Not as much as I feel like I am,” Peterson said. “I knew I had a role to fill. My confidence is through the roof, but it’s also a team effort. You have to get a pass and a set.
“Our team works really well together, so I think that helps me reach my success.”
The 6-foot-1 Peterson showed off the look of a breakout star Tuesday night for the Vikings with a dominant 16 kills in a thrilling 25-16, 21-26, 25-23 nonconference win over host South Elgin.
Evie Ross chipped in with seven kills and two aces for the Geneva (1-1). Maddy Dougherty added five kills and two blocks, while Molly Franz notched three blocks and two kills.
Alena Amel paced South Elgin (0-1) with nine kills and three blocks. Camryn Boyd came up with eight kills, while senior setter Paige Genke tallied six kills, two blocks and an ace.
Although the Vikings didn’t win the second game, Peterson’s skills were on display. Geneva coach Lauren Kosecki called a timeout down 14-8 and Peterson responded with six kills.
That pulled Geneva within 16-15. The win would require a third game to finish off, but that stretch would put on display exactly what Kosecki and the Vikings have on their hands in Peterson.
“She does a nice job,” Kosecki said. “Even if she makes an error, she comes back and is on the attack. Keep staying aggressive, which I love to see.
“I’ve seen a huge improvement from last year to this year. She’s made a lot of growth, and I’m very impressed with it.”
Emma, the younger sister of junior quarterback Ben Peterson, said her demeanor, particularly after mistakes, was a big point of offseason emphasis along with improving her skills.
“I worked pretty hard, especially on the outward things like my attitude and stuff like that,” Peterson said. “I think that when my attitude is better it helps me play better.
“I think it helps to know how I play and that my team is there for me always.”
Genke had her own dominant moments for South Elgin.
The veteran team captain produced a key block near the end of the second game to force a third. She also delivered a nice run of tip kills in the third to keep the Storm within striking distance.
“Super aggressive in the second and third games as a setter, which is awesome,” South Elgin coach Jesse Bossenga said of Genke. “It’s what we’ve been talking about.
“As a senior, that’s why she’s out there.”
Gracious in defeat, Bossenga, was impressed with the level of play from both teams on only the second day of the regular season.
“We got to see a little bit of the early season jitters,” Bossenga said. “Then we got to see overcoming those and playing volleyball. That was awesome.”
After graduating 12 of 13 players from last year, Geneva is counting on its lone returnee in junior setter Ally Stevenson. Her presence early on could be the key for a young team.
“I think that she does a really good job of keeping us calm on the court,” Peterson said. “I think that there are a lot of young players, so we know we’re going to always learn through our mistakes.
“When that happens, we just keep moving forward.”
Peterson will experience more this fall, but Kosecki is impressed with how she’s handling it so far.
“It’s a learning curve,” Kosecki said. “You’ve got to be able to handle all the ups and downs that come with being a six-rotation outside. So far, she’s doing a nice job as a sophomore.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
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