Girls volleyball: Batavia takes 2nd at Jacobs
The effort was exceptional.
Unfortunately, the result wasn't exactly what Batavia's girls volleyball team was looking for in its first appearance at the Jacobs Invitational.
Crystal Lake Central, winners of 8 straight matches, proved too much for the Bulldogs, with a 25-20, 26-24 victory to claim the championship.
Batavia, a perfect 3-0 in pool play, advanced to the championship match with a 25-20, 25-23 win over Waukesha Memorial Catholic of Wisconsin in the semifinals.
"We were looking for a competitive tournament and we were glad to get the opportunity to compete in this tournament," said Batavia coach Lori Trippi-Payne. "Waukesha was the 2A Wisconsin state champion so that was a huge win. They are an extremely talented team. Crystal Lake just had too many hammers for us and they took us out of our system."
In Game 1 against Waukesha, a kill by Cordelia Smith gave the Bulldogs a 1-0 advantage in the match.
Down 23-20 in Game 2 the Bulldogs scored the final 5 points capped by a kill from Hannah Yaconis.
Yaconis, Smith and Sam Juarez paced the Bulldogs with 5 kills apiece while Melissa Kozak collected 3 blocks.
In the title match, trailing 15-10 in Game 1 Batavia (8-4) went on a 5-0 run to forge a 15-15 tie. Maddy Boyer collected 2 aces during the run.
The Tigers (8-1) seized control of the game by outscoring Batavia 10-5 to win Game 1. A kill by Camryn Hausler gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead in the match.
In Game 2, the Bulldogs looked in good shape to force a third game with a 23-20 lead after a kill by Juarez. Central tallied the final 6 points with the match winner coming on a kill by Megan Kelly.
Jo Brozny led Batavia with 5 kills. Megan Kelly and her identical twin Emily collected 8 kills each for the Tigers.
"We really came together as a team in this tournament," said Megan Kelly. "Batavia was a very good team that tested us."
Cary-Grove (5-4), which went 2-1 in pool play, defeated Stevenson 19-25, 25-23, 25-22 in the Gold Pool. The Trojans, despite 11 kills from Amber Olson, were defeated by Wheaton North 25-14, 25-17 to finish sixth.
'We are young and inexperienced in some areas and that showed today against good competition," said Cary-Grove coach Patty Langanis. "Our goal every year is to win this tournament so it's a little disappointing we didn't win. But I like the way we played. Amber really stepped us and showed some senior leadership."
Barrington, 5-3 overall, 1-2 in pool play, finished seventh defeating Stevenson 25-16, 17-25, 26-24. Peyton Tilley paced the Fillies with 11 kills.
"It was a great way to finish the tournament," said Barrington coach Michelle Jakubowski. "Our passing got better as the day went on."
Stevenson (6-7) went 1-4 on the day.
"We had high expectations for the year so we are a little disappointed with the way we started the season," said Stevenson coach Tim Crow. "Right now our issue is as much mental as physical."