Can Libertyville flex its muscles again? Luis Correa wants to make it happen. ‘He has so much talent.’

Ten months after Libertyville reached the state semifinals, Luis Correa can look around the gym and see a much different team.

That doesn’t mean the senior setter expects any less.

“We lost some really good players, but we have some talented guys ready to step in,” Correa said. “We don’t want to let up this season. We want to keep building this program.”

Correa is one of the keys for the Wildcats. He has taken over in their new 5-1 offense after sharing the setting responsibilities with then-senior Ethan Lindberg last season.

“I haven’t played in an offense with just one setter very much, but I’m looking forward to it,” Correa said. “It helps when you have a lot of guys who I can get the ball to like I do this season.”

Correa recorded 25 assists and senior outside hitter Aleks Slesers had 15 kills in Libertyville’s 25-22, 15-25, 25-14 nonconference win against Carmel in Mundelein on Tuesday.

But the unbeaten Wildcats struggled at times.

“It’s nice to be 3-0, but we have won all three of our matches in three games, so we need to be able to close out teams in two games,” Correa said. “It will come. It’s so early in the season, so we have a lot of time to improve.”

Libertyville coach Jenny Smith wasn’t too concerned about her team’s performance against Carmel (1-2).

“I think everyone was still in spring break mode,” she said. “We have a big tournament coming up this weekend at Glenbard East where we will see a lot of good teams. It will be a good chance to see where we stand.”

Correa, who had a team-high 373 assists and 101 digs last season, is a big part of that. He provides much-needed experience, chase-down speed and soft hands. Slesers and senior outside hitter Braden Andersen, who had seven kills against Carmel, also saw action for the Wildcats last year.

“Luis has a good feel for the game, so he knows who has the hot hand and usually finds them in the right positions,” Smith said. “I love Luis. He has so much talent, and if he just plays with the right amount of confidence in his abilities, he will really make a big impact for us.”

Libertyville used a 10-point service run by Andersen to build a commanding 12-4 lead early in the third game, when Slesers had five kills — including one for match point.

“It’s always a big win for us to beat Carmel because of the Route 176 rivalry,” Correa said. “We just wish we would have played a little bit better.”

Correa knows teams can make vast improvements over time. Libertyville lost 13 matches during the regular season last year but earned the fourth-place trophy at the state finals in Hoffman Estates.

“We know we are going to be better toward the end of the season because we have so many young guys we are trying to work into the lineup,” Correa said. “Just knowing that we have a lot of potential if we continue to work hard and play together is something we can build on.”

Darren Day is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.