West Chicago upsets Geneva
Despite watching her team do just about everything right in Game 1, West Chicago girls volleyball coach Kris Hasty was a bit apprehensive prior to the second game Thursday night.
“We came out and played great defensively and kind of stuck it to them offensively,” Hasty said of the Wildcats’ 25-13 opening-game triumph over Geneva. “That’s absolutely the best we’ve played all year. That’s all you can ask for.
“But we knew that that wasn’t Geneva out there in the first game,” Hasty added. “We knew they were going to come at us, especially with them being at home.”
The Vikings (24-13) did just that, taking their first lead of the night at 14-13 in Game 2 after a West Chicago net violation. Geneva still clung to a 21-20 advantage after a right-side kill from senior Melissa Hanika.
But the Wildcats (25-12) scored 5 of the next 7 points to pull out the second game, 25-23, sealing their 2-game Class 4A regional championship sweep of the Vikings.
Illinois-bound Julia Conard, who recorded a game-high 8 kills and 10 digs, helped West Chicago earn its second consecutive regional crown with an authoritative put-down from the left side on match point.
“The first time, I got blocked and I was kind of mad,” said Conard. “It was a great set and I got a second chance at finishing it off.”
Conard received plenty of support from her teammates, as 6-4 junior middle hitter Andrea Skipor, Mary Kate Katarzynski, and Nora Palermo each added 5 kills, while Payton Bayless had 16 assists, and Kayla Katarzynski delivered a pair of aces.
“We try to balance it out so it’s not just through our outsides,” said Hasty, whose team will face York in Tuesday’s sectional semifinals at St. Charles East. “We’ve really done a nice job of mixing it up.”
Hanika and fellow senior Elle Weinstein had 3 kills apiece for the Vikings, who only managed 1 kill during the entire opening game.
“That was no way to start the regional championship,” said Geneva coach KC Johnsen. “No one was functioning real well for us. We tried a lot of different combinations and tried to make a lot of adjustments to get ready for that second game.”
Game 2 featured 8 ties and 5 lead changes before the Wildcats prevailed.
“I almost expected three games like that last one,” said Johnsen. “One of the things that West Chicago does very well is play defense. Any time we play a team that can defend us, the games should be more like the second one was.”
West Chicago will bring some momentum into next week’s sectional.
“I definitely think we’re peaking at the right time,” said Conard. “I think we have great confidence going into sectionals.”
Johnsen, meanwhile, watched 7 seniors close out their high school careers.
“It’s hard to think about right now but I’d say this team overachieved all year,” said Johnsen. “Somewhere down the line, they should appreciate the fact that we put together a pretty solid season.”