Huskies hand Tigers first DVC loss of year
Naperville North may have just two seniors on its girls volleyball roster, but that's not to say they weren't more than capable of helping make Wednesday's senior night a special one.
With Christine Wu leading the way on defense and Colleen Ward recording a team-high 17 kills, the Huskies knocked off a Wheaton Warrenville South team that hadn't dropped a DuPage Valley Conference match in 1½ years.
Wu, a 5-foot-4 libero, had 14 digs as Naperville North (26-4, 12-2) outlasted the Tigers 25-22, 22-25, 25-22. Wheaton Warrenville South had clinched the league title Tuesday, but a win Wednesday would have given it a perfect run through the powerful DVC.
"Everybody stepped up," Wu said. "Not just for the seniors. We did it for everyone and we all played great. Wheaton South came out and gave us a great match. I always enjoy playing them. You know it's always going to be a good match."
With both schools supported by noisy fan sections, Naperville North pulled out Game 1 by taking the final three points after the score had been tied at 22. A big block by Sidney Sauter gave the Huskies game point, and Ward slammed a free ball from there to close the game.
The Tigers, who dropped to 30-5 overall and 13-1 in the DVC, never trailed in Game 2, but the Huskies did pull to within 22-21 following a kill by Ward. Wheaton Warrenville South closed the second game with Rebecca Zlabis getting a block kill and Anne Luhrsen delivering a winner late in the contest.
The 6-foot-2 Ward, who had 5 digs to go with her 17 kills, said the Huskies entered the decisive game looking for a fresh start. Neither team led by more than 3 points in the final game until Naperville North took a 24-20 following a kill by Kaia Schwartz.
"We just wanted to start over completely and pretend it was the first game again because we got off to a good start in the first game," Ward said. "We cleared that (Game 2 loss) out of our mind. As it turned out, it was a great senior night."
Tigers coach Bill Schreier felt his team played pretty well in a tough atmosphere but maybe sent a few too many easy balls Ward's way.
"When you give up free balls to a team like this with Colleen on the outside, they're going to take advantage of it," he said. "All in all, though, I thought we played pretty well in a hostile environment. I can't fault the effort and I can't fault the energy level."
Zlabis paced the Tigers with a match-leading 18 kills and 3 blocks, while Luhrsen and Mollie Kolosky each added 5 kills.
"I was very pleased with the way our girls played," Naperville North coach Jennifer Urban said. "It was a nice match and both teams had good crowds. It was nice to see us win a big match on our home court."