Glenbard North falls to Batavia
Playing a tough regular-season schedule seemed to pay off for Batavia's girls volleyball team Monday night, but a much stiffer test awaits.
The 13-23 Bulldogs opened play at the Class 4A Neuqua Valley regional with a 25-22, 25-21 defeat of Glenbard North. With the win No. 16 seed Batavia earned a crack at top-seeded Benet on Tuesday.
Batavia recently played Class 3A defending champion St. Francis and has already taken on Benet this season, part of a schedule that included many of the higher-seeded teams at this loaded Bartlett sectional.
"We played a lot of good competition this year and sometimes this is the time of year when things pay off," Bulldogs coach Lori Trippi-Payne said. "Not just our conference, but our nonconference schedule was also just unbelievable, so our girls know what it means to battle and fight."
The Panthers (10-25) made sure the Bulldogs had to battle by playing solid defense and getting one final strong effort out of senior outside Nicole Tobison, who had 6 kills and 3 aces on offense and also added 12 digs in the match. Glenbard North jumped ahead 7-4 in the opener and later led 12-11 following a kill from Emily Krohn before the Bulldogs turned things around and eventually pulled out a tight sweep to advance.
"I'm very proud with how we played," Tobison said. "It was definitely one of our best matches played this year. Our defense was solid, our attacking was strong and our blocking was just as good. I'm really proud of my entire team … the determination on the court and just never giving up."
The Bulldogs seemed to take control of the opener after kills from Sam Bradle and Jenna Garrett gave them a 21-15 lead, but Glenbard North battled back with the help of three straight aces from Tobison.
But Batavia claimed the opener when Garrett unleashed an ace after a Panthers error had given the Bulldogs a 24-22 lead. Game 2 was more of the same, long rallies with strong defense and then a close game pulled out by Batavia.
Bradle, who had 14 assists and 12 digs, is excited about the chance to face the top-ranked Redwings in Tuesday's regional semifinals.
"All season we had a lot of close games," the Bulldogs co-captain said. "It was nice to have it pay off today and have us pull through and pull the game out. We're real excited for tomorrow. By no means will it be easy, but I think we have a chance and it will be a fun game."
Maddy Astling paced the Bulldogs' attack Monday with 7 kills, while Jancy Lundberg had 5, including four big ones in the second game. Libero Maddie Laudon added 12 digs.
Panthers first-year coach Anne Mastandrea was glad to see her team battle until the very end.
"We're working to build on this program with hard work and intensity and I think they showed a lot of that tonight," she said. "Both teams played a good match and they showed a lot of heart and intensity and that's the type of volleyball match I like to be a part of. I wish Batavia good luck in tomorrow's match and we're excited to continue our journey together."