Wheaton North beats Rams in 3

Wheaton North used two massive runs to beat Glenbard East on senior night in Wheaton on Thursday night.

Those runs came in very handy in a gritty 25-18, 17-25, 25-13 win.

In the first game the Rams were leading 8-7 when the Falcons (14-15, 7-7) went on an impressive 10-0 run behind the serving of libero Taylor Grimes. After that rally the Rams (16-14, 7-7) were never able to get any closer than 5 points the rest of the game.

Amy Groesbeck had 5 of her team-high 10 kills during the first game.

"Amy was our go-to girl for us tonight; she really stepped up," Wheaton North coach Carole Kristensen said. "She is a senior and she brought her game during her night."

The second game was much different than the first as the Rams didn't allow the Falcons to string together points. This time it was the Rams going on a run as they used a 9-2 spurt midway through that second game to open up a 21-12 lead.

Rams coach Marci Maier said it was nice for her team to have a run, but allowing multiple runs by the opposition has been an ongoing theme this season.

"We have talked a lot this season about not letting teams go on long runs," Maier said. "We gave them two big runs tonight. We had one, but that's not enough. We are just fortunate that we were able to go three games because we didn't allow them one in the second game. It's frustrating."

In that third game the Falcons went on an 11-1 run. With Wheaton North leading 7-5 the Falcons rattled off three straight, gave up a point then scored the game's next 8 points to give themselves a commanding 18-6 lead, clearing the way to victory.

"Momentum is so huge for us, and to get those runs and have that carry us to victory is always big," Kristensen said. "Especially right before the playoffs. Both teams played really scrappy. Neither team wanted to let the ball hit the floor. I am just glad we finished on top tonight."

For Groesbeck, a senior, winning in the final home appearance was as good as it gets.

"We were so pumped up to play tonight," she said. "This was awesome. It feels good to accomplish something we have all been looking forward to for four years."

The Rams' Amanda Peterson had a match-high 14 kills, 5 aces and 5 blocks in the loss.