It's not pretty, but West Chicago wins over WW South
West Chicago's 16th win without a loss wasn't its smoothest match.
It is, after all, hard to get through a season minus a few bumps in the road.
The end result was just as sweet.
The No. 5 Wildcats weathered 22 errors and an early Game 2 deficit to beat Wheaton Warrenville South for the second time this season, 25-21, 25-20 on Tuesday in West Chicago.
"It was just a little different tonight," West Chicago coach Kris Hasty said. "We weren't talking, we got down in Game 2, we weren't passing the ball. We just weren't clicking. But we came out with a win."
West Chicago (16-0, 5-0 DuPage Valley Conference) is one of only three teams in the top 20 still unbeaten. No. 1 Cary-Grove and No. 4 Libertyville are the others. Hasty assured that the rankings aren't plastered in the Wildcats locker room.
"(The undefeated record) is kind of in the back of our minds, but we're still going to just try to play our game," Wildcats middle Emily Paschke said. "Just play together and do whatever we can to win. If we lose a match it's not like it's going to be the end of the world."
Up a game Tuesday, West Chicago dug itself a quick 6-0 hole in Game 2. Four Wildcats errors and 2 kills by WW South middle Shealyn Kolosky forced a West Chicago timeout.
West Chicago quickly regrouped, coming all the way back to tie it 9-9 on a Julia Conard kill and WW South error. The two teams traded points before Paschke gave West Chicago the lead for good with a kill and ace to make it 12-10. Another Conard kill and 2 more WW South errors made it 15-10.
Paschke had 4 of her 5 kills in Game 2.
"We got off to a slow start," Paschke said. "We just had to get a sideout."
Tennessee-bound Kolosky and Stephanie Budlong each had 6 kills for WW South (9-7, 2-3), playing without injured setter Amy Drabant (muscle pull). Kate Phalen added 4 kills and Jacky Rodriguez 14 digs. The Tigers fared much better against West Chicago than in a 25-19, 25-14 loss at the Willowbrook Invite.
"I thought we were able to challenge them," WW South coach Bill Schreier said, "especially in a couple positions. I liked how we competed even dealing with injuries. We were able to hit zones a little bit more consistently with our serve and that allowed us to stay in rallies."
The Game 2 turn of events was a point of emphasis in the postgame WW South huddle.
"You can't let them back in in three rotations," Schreier said. "That's something we talked about after the game. You have to be able to continue to challenge them, continue to execute and continue to put pressure on them. We kind of hit a lag."
Game 1 was nip-and-tuck throughout. At 18-17 West Chicago the Wildcats surged ahead on a Kathy Fletcher kill, 2 WW South hitting errors and a Paschke kill. The Tigers' service error gave West Chicago game point.
Illinois recruit Conard had 7 kills and 7 digs for West Chicago, which plays at Naperville Central on Thursday before hosting defending DVC champ Naperville North next Tuesday. Fletcher and Jen Konchar each added 3 kills and Payton Bayless had 16 assists.