Girls volleyball: Naperville Central outlasts West Aurora for tourney title
The championship of the West Aurora Invitational on Saturday showed how evenly matched Naperville Central and West Aurora are.
The two squads split the first two sets.
The Redhawks won the first set, 25-21, and the Blackhawks took the second one, 25-20.
Momentum seesawed in the third game until Naperville Central took control down the stretch to win the match, 25-19, and take home the tournament first place trophy.
"I think that at no point, regardless of the score, did I feel comfortable. I think that the defensive rallies were some of the best that I have seen. I thought that just as when we were pulling ahead, they came back and vice versa," said Naperville coach Brie Isaacson. "And to be honest with you, I think it came down to the last five points. We stayed a little focused, we caught a couple of lucky breaks on our side and that was the difference maker for us."
Naperville Central took the lead early in the contest. West Aurora tied it up at 3-3 on a Redhawks service error. The Blackhawks stayed in front until a hitting error tied the score at 13-13.
Twice, West Aurora (8-3) pulled ahead only to have Naperville Central tie it. A Madeline Bylak spike (11 kills, 12 digs) put the Redhawks back on top, 17-16.
The Blackhawks pulled within 20-19 on a block by Jenna Millen (22 assists, 8 digs) and Karlie Cardiff.
But that was a close as West Aurora would get. Naperville Central (12-1) scored five unanswered points to close out the match.
"The key for us was, after they got a good swing, was remaining calm, getting the pass and just focusing on our side," said senior Kayla Closset (14 kills, 23 digs). "To make it pay off in the end was really awesome."
"Naperville Central played a really good match. They came out a little faster than we did in the first set. We countered and made some adjustments in the second game," West Aurora coach Kevin Mortlock said. "In the third game, you have got to give them credit. They went out there and they had an amazing defense. Their block coverage was ridiculous."
Olivia McPherson led West Aurora's attack with 11 kills. The senior also had 17 digs.
"She kept their defense off-balance. She also passed and serve-received very well," Mortlock said. "She always is a threat to the other side."
Chloey Myers and Kendra Battle both scored 6 kills for West Aurora. Myers also contributed 11 digs. Teammate Lauren Greenwood had 12 digs.
"I thought Caroline Hughes (17 digs) our libero had a great weekend," said Isaacson.
Grace Butler was credited with 34 assists and seven digs for Naperville Central.