Girls volleyball: Hampshire edges Burlington Central for 1st FVC win
It was certainly a profitable night for the Hampshire volleyball program.
Not only did the Whip-Purs raise money for pediatric cancer, but Hampshire recorded its first Fox Valley Conference victory of the season.
Spurred by 10 kills, 5 blocks and 4 aces from Kielee Tondryk, the Whips registered a hard-fought 26-24. 25-23 win over Burlington Central Thursday night.
The Whips. who wore yellow Go Gold shirts to commemorate the occasion, move to 2-5 overall and 1-5 in FVC action.
"It was a very special night for our program," said Tondryk, a senior. "We have done the Pink Out for breast cancer in the past. Because pediatric cancer care is underfunded we decided to go with that cause tonight. We were really fired up for this match for many reasons. It feels great to get our first conference win. We played with great energy and effort tonight."
Hampshire coach Kim Millard praised Tondryk's effort.
"Kielee played very well at the net and she played with great effort and energy," said Millard. "She was a leader tonight."
Tondryk received plenty of help from her teammates.
Sophomore Jacey Lambert collected 6 kills while Kayla Cooper added 5 kills.
Junior setter Juliana Barrientos ran the offense efficiently with 24 assists.
"We were really motivated as a team and I thought we really came together as a team tonight," said Millard. "The season so far has been a roller coaster. We kept our composure in both games at the end and came up with the huge win."
With 9 lead changes and ties in Game 1, the Whip-Purs grabbed the lead for good at 23-21 on a kill by Lambert. Burlington Central (1-5, 1-5) tied the game at 24 on a kill by Kathryn Schmidt. Hampshire responded by scoring the final 2 points to win the game on a kill by Tondryk and an ace by Lambert.
With the score tied at 14 in Game 2, Hampshire seized control with a 6-0 run. Tondryk, Cooper and Lambert each landed 2 kills as the Whip-Purs took a 20-14 advantage.
The visiting Rockets didn't quit and responded with an 8-3 run to slice the Whip-Purs' lead to 23-22.
Schmidt, Mia Yarnell and Rachel Stoneman each collected 2 kills as the Rockets mounted a rally.
Burlington Central couldn't get any closer as Hampshire captured Game 2 and the match on a kill from Tondryk.
Rylie Hahn led the Rocket offense with 8 kills while Schmidt collected 6 and Addy Nava had 4. Stoneman and Lily Moretti had 11 assists apiece.
"Honestly this was one of our worst matches of the season," said Central coach Kristen Peara. "We played with absolutely no intensity and had far too may unforced errors. We are a very very young team as we are playing four sophomores."