Willowbrook seniors earn their big night

Prior to Willowbrook's girls volleyball game against Downers Grove North on Thursday, Warriors seniors Jill Graczyk, Amelia Weyer, and Holly Kosir were honored on senior night.

Then they all played pivotal roles in a win that went three games and lit up a good crowd in Villa Park.

"Our fans," Graczyk said in explaining how her squad rebounded after dropping the first game to the Trojans. "We play off of the excitement of the fans getting crazy like that."

Downers Grove North (11-18) won the first game 25-19, before Willowbrook (19-15) won 25-18 and then 25-22 in a third-game barnburner.

"I think they found their focus after that first game," said Willowbrook coach Sue Bower. "We played hesitant on Tuesday, and we just had to get out of that funk."

"After the first loss tonight, we knew we had to pick it up," Graczyk said. "Our passing and hitting were off, so we talked about just being aggressive - just swing away."

Warriors junior Josie Hopkins did just that, hammering 6 of her team-high 10 kills in the third game. Weyer also played huge in the third game, and her blocking in Games 2 and 3 helped carry the day.

"This is the best blocking team I've had in the seven years I've been here," Bower said. "And when they play like this, they really start to believe in themselves."

The Trojans got strong play from hitters Britta Baarstad and Jessie Tulacka in game one, but coach Mark Wasik's young squad played tight after that in a raucous Willowbrook gym.

"Willowbrook had some nice digs off of our best hitters," Wasik said. "And we're still learning to play in situations with a crowd like this. We still play a little too scared."

Kosir may have had the biggest moment of the night. Willowbrook led 20-19 in the third game when the night's wildest and longest back-and-forth volleying took place, with Kosir charging after a ball headed well out of bounds and swinging her arm up with her back to the court.

Kosir's save cleared the net, and Hopkins earned a kill thereafter in the night's best exchange. "Usually we don't get those (saves). That was a huge turning point," Bower said.

"Our passing and communicating have gotten much better," said Graczyk, who finished with 22 digs and five kills. "We're coming together as a team."

Sarah McCarthy's 30 assists also played no small role in Willowbrook's turnaround in games two and three, Valerie Reid had 12 digs, Caitlin Hopkins had 6 kills, and Weyer finished with 4.

Baarstad led the Trojans with 12 kills, Tulacka posted 6 and Sam Morek had 19 assists on the night.