Girls volleyball: Yorkville denies Naperville North

Elle Norquist has been up on varsity all season as a serving specialist, so stepping to that line is nothing new.

Just not in this situation.

But there was the little 5-foot-5 freshman, back to serve with the season and history on the line in front of a packed home gymnasium.

"I was really nervous," Norquist said.

The Yorkville freshman apparently has nerves of steel.

Norquist served the last eight points of the match, the first four coming on service aces. The fifth-seeded Foxes finished the match with a monster 18-2 run to stun fourth-seeded Naperville North 15-25, 25-20, 25-15 and win the Class 4A Yorkville Regional final.

It's Yorkville's first regional championship since 2007.

"I'm almost speechless," Yorkville coach Lisa Molek said. "I'm so proud of my girls because they put so much into this. They're the best group of kids I've ever coached, on and off the court, and I can't be more proud of them."

Yorkville (31-5), which advances to play top-seeded Metea Valley in Monday's sectional semifinal at Oswego, trailed 13-7 in the third set before the huge finish.

After a long rally, Canisius commit Ella Bourque drilled a kill from the right pin for a 17-15 Foxes' lead to get back serve, and set the stage for Norquist's late heroics.

Her first serve looked like it had sailed long, but was ruled tipped by a Naperville North player. She followed with three more aces and a 21-15 lead, momentum Yorkville never gave back.

"She's such a good server," Bourque said. "Sometimes being a freshman is a little bit nerve racking and we put her under so much pressure, but she did well."

"This is a huge experience for a freshman; she is never going to forget that moment," Molek said. "She has a very sweet nature but as you can see she is very competitive and she serves like a bulldog."

Naperville North (26-10), which was after its 11th regional since 2005 under head coach Jennifer Urban, appeared in control in the third set behind the hot hand of Paige Lauterwasser.

Lauterwasser, a 5-foot-11 junior outside, had seven of her match-high 17 kills in in the third set with six of the Huskies' first nine points.

Her last kill, from the back row, had the Huskies ahead 14-12, but Yorkville followed with a 4-0 run started by a Bourque kill and Janelle Pye-Blacknard ace.

"When Paige rotated into the back row we struggled in those rotations," Urban said. "Our passing broke down and we had a hard time finding the court offensively. Yorkville continued to gain momentum, played better defense and served really strong."

Lauterwasser's seven kills and four Sydney Kushner aces during a 5-0 run, coupled with eight Yorkville unforced errors - three coming on long serves - helped Naperville North take the first set.

Yorkville, though, answered in the second set behind six Keelyn Muell kills and four kills and an ace from Saige Avery.

"We literally had to take a deep breath," said Pye-Blacknard, who had 10 kills and six digs for the match. "We had too much energy built up and we had to calm ourselves down. We really wanted this. We were going to fight to the end."

It's the continuation of quite a season for Yorkville, which posted just a 7-7 record during the spring but this fall won a share of its first conference title since 2015.

The season twice Thursday looked like it was running out - after the first set and early in the third - but instead Molek's kids are moving on.

Avery had four kills, 17 assists and seven digs for the match, fellow four-year varsity player Bourque six kills, 12 assists and six digs and Muell 13 kills and six digs. Anna Burson added 12 digs. Kara Oxenknecht had five kills for Naperville North.