Waubonsie Valley works for victory
Waubonsie Valley girls volleyball coach Kristen Didier said she was glad visiting Batavia had been put last on the Warriors' regular-season schedule. With the start of the postseason just a few days away, she didn't want her team coasting in the last postseason tuneup.
Waubonsie did not coast. Tenacious Batavia battled from start to finish Thursday night before the Warriors prevailed 25-20, 26-24 on senior night. To take the Bulldogs' record before the game (12-22) and 16th seed in the Class 4A Bartlett sectional at face value was to risk defeat.
"(The Bulldogs) are a good, scrappy team and I like to play them at the end of the season. It's a nice, competitive match," Didier said.
The Bulldogs came oh so close to forcing a third game. Freshman Jenna Garrett's kill gave her team a 23-22 advantage and the ball back. Caroline Cordes' kill tied the contest at 23 and the Warriors resumed serving. A kill by Taylor Dunwell put the Warriors up 24-23, but a hitting error by Waubonsie made it 24-24.
Brooke Burling's hit with Batavia serving put the Warriors up for good at 25-25, and Dunwell and Cordes appeared to each get part of a block for the game and match-clinching point.
"It means so much (getting the senior night win). We've worked hard all season to get to this point," said Lauren Hiller, one of five Waubonsie seniors.
The Warriors (22-13), an 11th seed in the Bartlett sectional, take on 22nd-seed East Aurora on Monday in Glenbard South regional quarterfinal play.
Hiller said a key to the Warriors' chances for playoff success occurred in Game 1 but not in Game 2. Waubonsie led from start to finish in Game 1 but led by 5 or 6 points a handful of times in the second game and could not build on that.
"The main thing for us was to come out strong every game and not let up in the middle of the game," she said.
Game 1 saw Batavia stay on the heels of the Warriors for most of the contest, trailing by 1-3 points except for a brief 5-point Waubonsie lead. The Warriors prevailed by closing out the game on a 4-1 run.
Waubonsie was led by 7 kills from Becky Breuer, 6 kills each from Dunwell and Burling and 5 from Cordes.
Batavia coach Lori Trippi-Payne was especially pleased with her team's play given that the Bulldogs haven't had much luck on the Waubonsie court.
"This is one of the toughest efforts we've given them on their floor. We could not stop their right-side attack. But we played solid," she said. "Our record does not reflect how hard we play. We just needed a little more offense."
Batavia, who was led by Maddy Astling's 7 kills and Jenna Garrett's 4 kills, takes on 17th-seeded Glenbard North on Monday in Neuqua Valley regional quarterfinal play.
Didier said her team is ready for the postseason.
"We're excited. I like our energy and our heart. We're not a big team, but we surprise teams because we don't give up on defense," she said.