Naperville North bounces back in third game to down WWS
What's the best way to bounce back from dropping the middle game of a volleyball match? Get off to a quick start in the decisive game.
Thursday's key DuPage Valley Conference battle saw host Naperville North (7-2, 3-0) dominate Wheaton Warrenville South 25-15 in the opening game before allowing the Tigers to pull even with a 25-21 triumph in Game 2. But Huskies coach Jennifer Urban felt her team built up a little steam late in the second game and had it carry over into Game 3, which Naperville North won 25-16 to stay unbeaten in the early going of league play.
"I thought we got some momentum back at the end of the second game and then we came out and played steady the rest of the match," said Urban, whose team grabbed 10-5 and 14-9 leads in the final game.
Outside hitter Audrey Wilson powered the Huskies in Game 1 with seven of her match-high 12 kills. Naperville North took a commanding 20-12 lead following a block by Sidney Sauter and then a powerful slam by Wilson.
The Tigers (6-4, 2-2) picked up their play a notch in the second game thanks in large part to the middle blocks of Monika Stanciauskas and Shealyn Kolosky and led 21-13 following a winner by Allie Wiesbrock on their way to tying the match at one game apiece.
"We let them in on a few runs," said Wilson, a 5-foot-10 senior. "We got too confident and didn't play our best and they went out and played really well in the second game."
With a balanced attack that saw Sauter, Alissa Valentine and Kaia Schwartz each record at least 4 kills to go along with Wilson's 12, the Huskies got back on track and finished off the match. It didn't hurt that Valentine and Schwartz also had a big night blocking.
For the Tigers it was a second DVC loss in as many nights after WW South fell to Wheaton North on Monday.
"We need to cut down on our errors," said Stanciauskas, who finished the night with 7 kills and 8 blocks. "We came out a lot stronger at the beginning of the second game, but after that we just needed to cut down on errors. We'll do a lot better next time."
Kolosky had 7 kills and 3 blocks for the visitors and Jacky Rodriguez kept things alive with 12 digs, but the Tigers couldn't quite keep up with the defending DVC champs on Tuesday.
"We did a real good job of at least slowing down their attack, which we didn't do in Game 1," Tigers coach Bill Schreier said. "When we go up against a senior dominant team (like Naperville North) we'll struggle and we'll have our moments."
Naperville North had the better of the moments when it mattered most.