Rosary wins rivalry match - and regional

The Rosary bulletin board was filled to capacity as the squad prepared for its neighborhood showdown with Aurora Central Catholic.

"We heard they were saying some things about us," Rosary senior standout Emily Weber said.

But it was the Royals who made the final statement, ending the Chargers' program-record-setting season in the championship match of the Class 3A Aurora Central girls volleyball regional on Saturday afternoon.

Weber had an extended service run to punctuate the Royals' dominant first-game win, and fourth-seeded Rosary punched its ticket to St. Francis' rugged sectional on Tuesday night, where the squad faces perennial powerhouse Joliet Catholic, by turning back a late Central run.

With its 25-10 and 25-23 victory, Rosary (19-18) captured its ninth consecutive regional title.

Fifth-seeded Aurora Central, which won its first conference championship in school history this season, bowed out at 25-11.

The first game was all Rosary; setter Lindsay Juriga had a kill to forge the second tie and final tie of the game, and Weber took her place at the service line.

The three-year starter had 3 of her match-high 4 aces in the subsequent 7-point blitz, and Aurora Central never recovered.

"It gave us a little bit of extra energy," Weber said.

Amelia Wegman, who led both teams with 8 kills, closed out the one-sided first game with a clean winner.

"For the first game they weren't used to our serves," Wegman said. "As far as energy goes, that stayed the same (in each game)."

The second game had an entirely different look, though, as Central collectively jettisoned its noticeably first-game jitters.

"We've been through a lot of emotions this week with me being in the hospital," said Aurora Central coach Jeanne Czipri.

The former West Aurora standout injured her head after fainting at work.

Service errors undermined both teams' ability to sustain runs, but Central overcame its miscues to take its largest lead of the day at 10-7 in the nightcap.

"I like to coach aggressive-serving teams," Czipri said. "I'd much rather them serve aggressively than just lollipop it over the net."

There were a dozen second-game deadlocks when Wegman served an ace to give Rosary a tenuous 19-18 lead.

The Royals' lead swelled to 22-18 on three consecutive Central mistakes, only to see the hosts forge a final tie at 23-23 on a Natalie Steinwart kill.

Juriga, however, delivered match point with a winner, and one last Central error ended its storybook season.

"I have been blessed with a phenomenal bunch of kids," Czipri said.