Hampshire, BC have strong days at invites
The Hampshire and Burlington Central girls volleyball teams each had good days Saturday in separate tournaments.
Hampshire wins DeKalb Tournament: The Whip-Purs (9-2) came out strong Saturday morning in their pool play matches downing East Aurora 25-18, 25-5 and Ottawa Marquette 25-14, 25-15 sending them into the championship bracket for the afternoon. Hampshire battled to a 3-game victory over McHenry 25-11, 15-25, 25-17 to propel the Whips into the championship match against tournament host DeKalb. The Whip-Purs once again prevailed in this 3-game match defeating the Barbs 25-15, 22-25, 25-22 to earn first place.
Kara Wehrs had an all-around tournament pacing the Whip-Purs with 36 assists, 29 kills and 28 digs over the 4 games. Amy Wehrs led the attack as she recorded a team leading 40 kills. Leigh-Anne Libby (41 assists), Tia Incapreo (28 digs), and Jen Hubbe (6 blocks) all helped Hampshire capture the championship. Kara and Amy Wehrs both were named to the all-tournament team for their efforts.
Burlington Central places 2nd in Wisconsin: The Rockets (8-5) knew that their weekend trip to Wisconsin was not going to be easy but Burlington Central was pleased with its second-place finish against some powerhouse teams from up north. The Rockets started off the tournament with a loss to Wisconsin 2A champion Waupun 25-17, 25-21 but bounced back quickly to defeat the 3A champions from Wisconsin Heights 25-23, 25-20. A close third match against Xavier saw the Rockets win 25-22, 17-25, 15-10, pushing them into the semifinals against tournament host Kettle Moraine Lutheran. Burlington Central once again proved to be victorious capturing a 25-22, 17-25, 15-10 win and advancing to the finals before eventually falling to top-ranked Divine Savior Heart Academy 25-20, 25-23.
Stephanie Holthus led the way for the Rockets with 78 kills to go along with 36 digs while Katelyn O'Reilly racked up 125 assists over the 5 matches. Taylor Scully also contributed to Burlington Central's finish adding 32 kills.
At Bartlett Tournament: The Hawks turned in a 4-1 record at their own tournament Saturday picking up victories over Larkin (25-11, 25-16), Shepard (25-12, 25-12), Belvidere North (25-16, 25-13), and Dundee-Crown (25-22, 22-25, 15-2) and suffering their lone loss to West Chicago (25-23, 17-25, 11-15).
Kelly Kraft and Kelsey Quinn led a well-balanced attack as they recorded 24 and 23 kills respectively. Alyssa Cazzato had a team leading 97 assists while Tori Burke added 11 aces over the 5 matches.
Dundee-Crown (4-5) recorded a 3-2 record for the tournament which was good enough to land the Chargers a third-place finish. The Chargers fought off Belvidere North 25-20, 23-25, 15-12, Shepard 25-18, 25-18, and Larkin 25-16, 25-20 to earn the three victories while they suffered losses to West Chicago 25-18, 25-16 and Bartlett. The Chargers spread out their offensive attack as Alyssa Sarrazine (38 kills), Mallory Fryer (17 kills), Alexis Holm (15 kills), and Rebecca Wika (13 kills) all contributed. Tanna Svec recorded 38 digs on the defensive end while Lindsay Mosher added 71 assists offensively.
Westminster Christian 2nd at Christian Liberty: The Warriors (7-5) battled to a second-place finish at the Christian Liberty Invite defeating Williows Academy, Maranatha Baptist, and host Christian Liberty Academy before eventually falling to Lake Forest Academy. Hannah Graves did a little of everything for Westminster as she registered 62 assists, 13 kills, 11 digs, and 3 blocks while Emily Bickford added 26 kills and 4 blocks.