Neuqua clinches Valley top spot
This Neuqua Valley girls volleyball team plans to keep on achieving big things, but Tuesday night was its last chance to claim an Upstate Eight Conference crown outright.
The Wildcats were more than up to the task, sweeping visiting Waubonsie Valley 25-12, 25-22 to claim the UEC Valley crown and also notch a school single-season record 24th win. Next year they will play in the DuPage Valley Conference.
In front of a large crowd - much of which was dressed in pink for the Three Valleys One Fight event that benefits the Side-Out Foundation - the Wildcats (24-10, 7-0) stormed out to a 14-7 lead while dominating Waubonsie Valley in the opener.
The Warriors responded with a great effort in the second set that saw the visitors build leads of 18-13 and 21-16 before the Wildcats completed the sweep with a strong flourish.
"We like to go out with a bang," Wildcats senior Kaelan Haag said of claiming the previously elusive UEC title. "It's awesome being the first time ever winning conference and getting 24 wins and having the best record at Neuqua. It's really special to be able to do this and pull it out and do it at home in our last regular-season home game."
Haag, a setter/right side, played a big role in the big win, delivering 6 kills, 7 digs, 8 assists, and 2 blocks. But she had plenty of help, as Claire Grove led the balanced attack with 7 kills and Abigail Skyrd added 6.
"It's a really special night. It was pack the place and our football guys came out and we had a lot of students up in the stands in their pink," Neuqua Valley coach Kelly Simon said. "I know the girls were excited about that. The coaches from the other two schools (Waubonsie Valley and Metea Valley) helped create this event for us, creating the shirts and getting both communities on board. I'm very, very gracious about that."
Simon was also gracious with the way her players came out to start the match and then the way they rallied to finish off the sweep.
"Waubonsie's defense the second game was unbelievable," Simon said. "They really did a lot of great things. But just before (Waubonsie coach Kristin Didier) called her second timeout ... they looked at each other in the eyes. I knew they were going to pull it out. They were able to lock back in and finish. We had a lot of different players contribute in a lot of different ways."
The Warriors, who dropped to 17-10 overall and 5-1 in the UEC Valley, were paced by Caroline Cordes and Brooke Burling, with 4 kills apiece, and 10 digs from Burling.
Cordes was glad to see her team respond better in the second game, but would prefer a faster start.
"We started off slow in the first game, but we really wanted to come back and put up a good fight in the second game," said Cordes, a junior middle hitter. "We just had more energy that (second) game and we really wanted it. We knew they had a big crowd … I wish we could have started off better, but we're going to keep working on it in practice."
Didier, whose team lost to the Wildcats for the title at the Warrior Blast tourney last month, knows the Wildcats are tough, but she also knows her team did not play its best.
"I definitely feel like that's not the best that we have and I look forward to showing the best that we have to show in the postseason," said Didier, whose team will play in Glenbard East's Autumnfest this weekend.