Dundee-Crown’s upset bid falls short
Monday night’s girls volleyball regional matchup couldn’t have started much better than it did for host Dundee-Crown.
The sixth-seeded Chargers won the opening game and led 16-15 in the second game.
But Prairie Ridge rallied and ended D-C’s season with a 19-25, 25-19, 25-18 victory to advance to the Class 4A Dundee-Crown regional semifinals.
“We came out and fought really hard in the first game,” Chargers coach Christine Hopkins-Muehl said. “The second game has always been a hard go for us after we win the first game.”
The third-seeded Wolves (21-15) will face No. 2 seed Crystal Lake Central (31-4) today after the first regional semifinal between Crystal Lake South and Cary-Grove, which begins at 6 p.m.
D-C (16-20) opened a 19-14 lead in the first game after back-to-back aces from Kaylee Sommers and a kill from Franki Cavallaro. A kill from Breanna Novak gave the Chargers a 23-19 lead before consecutive errors from Prairie Ridge ended the open game.
“We weren’t here at the beginning,” Wolves coach Stefanie Otto said. “I think the kids saw that the season could end. We started to start playing.”
Sommers gave D-C a 16-15 lead in the second game with 1 of her 5 aces. A Kiana Mays kill tied the game at 18-18 before Prairie Ridge scored 7 of the final 8 points to take the second game 25-19.
The Wolves dominated the decisive game, scoring the first 5 points and led 10-2 after a Charli Beam kill. An ace from Olivia Hanley gave Prairie Ridge a 10-point lead, 22-12. The Chargers got within 6, 23-17, but wouldn’t get any closer.”
“We knew we were underdogs,” Hopkins-Muehl said. “We knew it was the more far-fetched version of our little fairy tale. We were hoping that maybe we knock somebody out and surprise some people.”
Novak and Ashley Raby each finished with 7 kills for D-C. Cavallaro finished with 6 kills, 22 assists and 8 digs. Mays added 6 kills.
Ali Witt led the Wolves with 10 kills and 3 blocks. Beam had 9 kills. Aubree Eggers added 7 kills. Taylor Otto finished with 6 kills and 32 assists.