The four Mylar balloons − a numeral one and three zeroes – hovered next to a smiling Addi Smith like one of the Prairie Ridge senior setter’s perfectly lofted passes.

A lot of assists deserve a lot of love, and Smith received it after her pin-point passing, a relentless attack and a gritty defensive effort led the Wolves to a 25-9, 25-12 win over Crystal Lake South in the Class 3A Prairie Ridge Regional final Thursday night.

At match’s end, after Smith’s 26 assists gave her 1,000 in only her second varsity season, her team surprised her with shiny balloons, a homemade sign with pictures and a bouquet of flowers.

Prairie Ridge coach Leah Groat said more than 700 of Smith’s assists have come this season. Smith set last season and sometimes played right side, but she has been the exclu

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