Girls volleyball: Batavia defense denies Glenbard South
On a night when its passing and defense were not its sharpest, the Glenbard South girls volleyball team just so happened to welcome a Batavia squad ready to put on a defensive clinic.
The Bulldogs - led by some special play from libero Sam Juarez - frustrated the host Raiders 25-18, 25-17 with an impressive effort to claim the nonconference win.
Juarez had 10 digs in the second set alone as Batavia improved to 16-12 on the year with the sweep. But it was more than just a strong defense that led Batavia, as Maddy Boyer and Cordelia Smith each had 6 kills as part of a balanced attack that made the night tough on Glenbard South (16-11).
"This is a big win for us. We really picked up some crazy shots," Bulldogs coach Lori Trippi-Payne said. "We kept their offense out of system by serving aggressively, and we really played some good defense. Sam was 10-for-10 on digs in Set 2. Not one got by her."
The Raiders got a few big swings and some blocks from Maggie Bair in the middle, but all too often the Bulldogs' defense extended plays and converted most of the long rallies into points.
"We were a little bit off today, but their defense was a big part of that," Raiders coach Chad Grant said. "It seemed like we couldn't find a way to get the ball to the floor. Also, we didn't pass the ball well enough to get Maggie as many swings as we normally do."
Batavia jumped out to a quick 6-1 lead in the opener before the Raiders rallied for a 16-15 lead after Bair slammed a low shot. But the Bulldogs closed the set with a 9-2 run capped off by a Boyer kill.
It was more of the same in the second set as Glenbard South took a 10-8 lead following a kill by Beth Kohl, only to see the Batavia defense lead a charge to close out the match.
"This was one of our better games," said Juarez, a junior who had 14 digs. "We knew we had to have a good game on defense because they have the big middle (Bair) and some good outsides. We prepared and did a lot of scouting. Where coach told us to go on defense was spot on."
The Raiders - who can claim at least a share of the Metro Suburban Conference Blue Division championship with a win over Fenton on Thursday - were led by sophomore Kathleen Millett, who had 6 kills and 9 digs. The outside hitter expects her team to put the loss behind itself with little trouble.
"Things have been going great this season. I think we've been making improvements and running quicker plays and our defense has definitely shone the past few games," Millett said. "Tonight was just a rough game and we weren't communicating as well as we should have been. We've been clicking pretty well before tonight. I'm expecting to bounce back from this really quick."