Girls volleyball: Down but not out — Black, Waubonsie erase deficit to top Glenbard North, keep season alive

Waubonsie Valley senior Belle Black entered this season knowing it would be her last.

The 5-foot-8 right-side hitter has decided not to play in college.

“I’ve always wanted to go to a super big college and volleyball wasn’t necessarily in the cards for that,” Black said. “It’s been super fun, but this is it.”

Even so, the girl who began playing volleyball when she wandered into a club “three minutes from my house” in second grade is not ready to say goodbye just yet.

Black spiked a team-high nine kills to bring the Warriors back from the brink of defeat against Glenbard North in a Class 4A Downers Grove South Regional quarterfinal on Monday night. The 17th-seeded Warriors rallied from three big deficits in the third set to edge 16th-seeded Panthers 25-23, 16-25, 25-21.

Waubonsie Valley (8-27) advances to play top-seeded Glenbard West (29-6) in the semifinals at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

“It’s super exciting,” Black said. “We had to fight for that match and we’re going to fight for tomorrow.

“The girls are super excited to come out and give it their all and leave it all on the court.”

Black certainly did that in a great all-around effort against the Panthers (12-20). She landed kills from the right side but also scored from the middle and the left side, including the kill that clinched the first set.

But Glenbard North surged behind freshman outside hitter Kenzie Alamawi, who led all players with 12 kills, to take the second set.

It was more of the same in the third set. The Panthers held leads of 5-0, 15-9 and 18-12, but each time Black stepped up with timely kills.

Black’s kill from the right side off an assist from senior setter Addi Candrian triggered a closing 13-3 run, which included the final five points.

“We really dug deep and found our grit,” Black said. “We’ve learned to build that as the season has gone on.”

Black, a three-year varsity player who earned all-conference honors as a junior on a regional championship team, put the Warriors on her shoulders when they desperately needed a lift.

“As a senior, I just had to leave it all on the court, so any chance to get the score is super crucial,” Black said. “We wanted to do all we can to get our points.”

Black had an experienced partner in Candrian, who had five kills and 14 assists.

“She is super effective, especially when she’s hitting the lines since we’re both lefties on the right side,” Candrian said. “That’s really crucial and helpful, hitting line and then sharp cross.

“I think it also helps that we were on the same team together last year. We kind of just have that bond and connection where I know I can trust and rely on her to get kills even if my set wasn’t the best. That has really helped us.”

Waubonsie Valley coach Noel Soto is grateful for Black’s help.

“You can tell her, ‘Hey, I need something from you,’ and she’s going to give you everything she has,” Soto said. “She doesn’t want it to end and I don’t blame her.

“It’s been a great run for her. It’s going to be hard to replace her.”

Black, an honors student who scored 34 on the ACT, wants to attend a big school like Notre Dame or Illinois and major in accounting or finance. She’s definitely capable of playing college volleyball, but major Division I schools require their hitters to be a lot taller than Black.

Soto said Black’s intangibles are just as important as her physical skills.

“You look at her, you never think that she could get up there and block, but she does,” Soto said. “You can’t measure heart.

“You can measure all the metrics, but you can’t measure heart. She’s got a big heart.”

The Warriors will be big underdogs against Glenbard West, but Black is going to relish the challenge.

“We always play good against good teams so I think we’re going to come out, give it our all and have fun,” Black said. “I’ve been playing volleyball for eight or nine years now, so this program is super special to me and it’s been so much fun.”