Girls volleyball: Naperville North rolls to win over Lockport
The Naperville North girls volleyball team knows this situation well.
After beating Neuqua Valley for a regional title last week, after losing to the Wildcats twice during the regular season, the Huskies get a third chance at Benet when the two teams meet at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the Class 4A Plainfield North sectional final.
Naperville North confirmed its reservation with a 25-10, 25-17 win over sixth-seeded Lockport in the second sectional semifinal on Monday. Benet defeated Waubonsie Valley in three sets in the first contest.
The Redwings (33-5), the top seed of the sectional, met the second-seeded Huskies (31-6) twice in regular-season tournaments and prevailing both times.
"We are so pumped. Ever since the last match of the regular season, our whole focus has been the postseason with Benet seeded above us," said senior Kayla Griesbach.
The tone of the first set against the Porters (28-10) was established quickly. Naperville North's Kathryn Shuty was the first to serve in the set and her three aces, a kill by Sarah Kushner and a hitting error by the Warriors put the Huskies up 5-0.
Naperville North was never seriously threatened for the rest of the set. With Shuty serving again, two kills by Linnea Dale and one by Kushner put their team up 19-7.
Later, with Grace Selman serving, two kills by Kushner and one by Ellie Hall started the finishing touches on the Set 1 victory with the Huskie up 24-10.
The Porters found some momentum in the second set and led 4-3 early with the help of some Huskies' hitting errors.
Later, a block by Naperville North's Dale and hitting errors by Lockport put Naperville North up 13-7. Kills by Kushner, Griesbach and Anna Jaworski gave the Huskies an 18-13 advantage.
Lockport still hung around. A Naperville North hitting error put the Porters to within 19-16.
The Huskies grabbed the momentum back thanks to a block by Dale and a hitting error and serving error by Lockport. That put Naperville North up 22-17 and the Porters didn't threaten after that.
"We're excited to get the opportunity to play Benet again," said Naperville North coach Jennifer Urban said.
What is the key for Naperville North to make the most of their third chance at Benet?
"They have a lot of big kids so we'll need to figure out ways to counter that," Dale said.