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Girls volleball: Dixon stuns Burlington Central

ROCHELLE - The records were certainly deceiving Tuesday night in Rochelle for the second semifinal of the Class 3A girls volleyball sectional.

"Volleyball is a strange game," Burlington Central coach Marv Leavitt said after Dixon, which entered the match with four more losses than wins, stunned the Rockets - winners of 30-plus matches - in three sets.

"It wasn't that we were overconfident. We were never able to get on a run. We had 40 unforced errors. That's not typical for us."

Dixon (15-18) will meet Marian Central, which also needed three sets to outlast Rosary, in the championship match on Thursday after its come-from-behind 18-25, 25-20 and 25-22 victory over Central.

The Rockets had their season come to a close at 31-7.

"It was the realization that we didn't want to stop playing," said Dixon outside hitter Amy Rotella, who had a match-high 10 kills to lead the Duchesses. "We have the potential to be a really good team, and it's been an off season so far."

Central middle Emily Bozich had a first-set kill to cap the Rockets' 12-6 opening run to start the match.

But Dixon would offer moments in the first game that would prove portentous for future developments.

Central, however, dispatched the Duchesses' three attempts to get closer than 3 points as Aly DeTamble was a force to close out the Rockets' first set.

DeTamble and Bozich had back-to-back kills to stretch the first-set cushion to 23-18, and the former then recorded consecutive aces to terminate the opener.

"That was a good feeling," DeTamble said. "(But) they got the momentum in the second and third games, and we couldn't get it back. I think that was the difference in the match."

Dixon shared or held the lead for all but 3 of the 45 points in the second set.

Alexis VanHiel and Lauren Wiltsie had a kill and ace, respectively, to give Central two of its only three leads of the second game.

"Unforced errors," VanHiel said of the Rockets' primary issue. "We didn't work as hard as we know we can. We weren't doing the things we usually do to stay on track."

Central scored 3 of the first 4 points in the decisive set, but Rotella had back-to-back kills to cap an 11-9 run.

The Rockets would never lead again; VanHiel forged the Rockets' last tie of the season at 15-15 on the last of her 8 kills.

Phoenix Smith ended the Rockets' season with her fourth block-kill of the match.

"You have to give (Dixon) credit," Leavitt said. "Dixon came up with the plays they needed to win the close games."

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