(Sugar Grove, IL.) - Waubonsee Community College's women's volleyball team closed out play in the Region 4 Crossover Tournament by beating Illinois Valley Community College in the final match of the two-day event. The Chiefs (15-8), hosts of the round robin tournament consisting of 13 teams from across northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin, downed the upset minded Eagles (5-12) in five hard fought games 25-15, 21-25, 21-25, 25-16 and 15-13. Overall, Waubonsee went 4-0 on the weekend with wins over Blackhawk Technical College, Sandburg College and Black Hawk College.
The Eagles took the first point of the match after a long volley on the way to holding a 5-3 lead early on. A kill by Makayla McNally from the left side knotted the score and Adrianna Larsen then put the Chiefs in front at 6-5 with a spike on her own. Waubonsee slowly began to pull away as Larsen smashed another kill to help the home team go ahead 12-7. The Chiefs continued to hold off the Eagles with McNally booking back-to-back kills to extend the lead to 19-13. Larsen followed up an Illinois Valley timeout with four straight aces to put Waubonsee in control up 23-13. McNally closed out the Chiefs' 25-15 win with another kill moments later.
In game two the Eagles jumped out to a big 8-2 lead highlighted by winning a pair of long volleys. McNally broke the ice for Waubonsee with a kill down the left sideline as the Chiefs looked to chip away at the deficit. A block by Joey Wolgast and another by McNally got the Chiefs within 11-8 before the Eagles tallied four straight points. Waubonsee battled back to get within two at 22-20, but that was as close as they would get. Illinois Valley's Eva Currie finished off the set with a thunderous spike from the middle of the net for a 25-21 Eagles' win.
Waubonsee looked like it got back on track in game three as they grabbed a 3-1 lead at the start. But the underdog Eagles came back to take an 8-7 lead before Sarah Boness fired an ace to tie the score. Larsen, off a perfect overhead assist by Alexis Jacquez, drilled a spike from the left side to momentarily put the Chiefs ahead. The match remained close as Wolgast registered a kill to knot the score at 11. A successful block by Currie allowed the Eagles to tie the score at 13 before Ashley Collins smashed a kill down the right sideline for Waubonsee. However, a pair of return errors and a net violation by the Chiefs suddenly gave Illinois Valley an 18-14 lead. Head Coach Steve Kish then called timeout to try and stop the Eagles' momentum. After the halt in play Waubonsee rallied to tie the game at 20 on a power kill by McNally. The intense battle continued as Collins scored a kill to give Waubonsee a 23-21 lead. The Eagles then reeled off the next four points to take a 25-21 win.
The Chiefs took a 4-2 lead in the fourth game when Kailey Ramirez perfectly placed a return shot to the far side of the court. Larsen followed with back-to-back aces to make it 6-2. A block by Molly Fitzgerald and a thunderous kill by McNally extended the Chiefs' lead to 8-3. Moments later a kill by Collins from the right side pushed the lead to 14-5. Waubonsee led by as many as 10 points on several occasions on the way to evening the match at two games each. A kill by McNally set up a potential game point for Waubonsee at 24-13. Illinois Valley then won the next three points before a return error gave the Chiefs the game 25-16.
The Eagles jumped in front 2-0 in the fifth and deciding game before Waubonsee won the next two points to even things up. A kill by McNally, with an assist from Jacquez, tied it again at 3-all. The game remained nip and tuck as Illinois Valley's Kaitlyn Anderson fired an ace to tie it at 6-all. Still tied minutes later, the Chiefs tallied two straight points taking an 11-9 lead on an ace by Collins. However, the Eagles won the next two to tie the game again. Larsen smashed a kill to make it 12-11 and Ramirez followed with a huge block for another point. Currie then blasted a kill down the left sideline to give Illinois Valley some hope. But McNally once again answered with a kill to make it 14-12 and set up the potential match point for Waubonsee. After an Illinois Valley timeout the visitors won the next point to stay alive. The Chiefs then called timeout and when play resumed McNally scored a thunderous cross court kill to end it.
McNally finished with 20 kills to help lead the Chiefs to victory. Larsen provided an all-around performance by recording 16 kills, making 20 digs and serving up seven aces to give her 48 on the season, currently the 13th most among all NJCAA Division II players in the country. Collins registered 23 assists, made 15 digs and added eight kills. Ramirez finished with 22 assists; Jacquez chipped in with 15 digs and Wolgast was credited with five assisted blocks. Waubonsee is in action again next Tuesday, September 23, when they head to Freeport to square off against Highland Community College beginning at 6:00 p.m. The Chiefs return home to play Morton College in an Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference match the following day, Wednesday, September 24. The match between the Chiefs and Panthers is scheduled to start at 6:00 p.m.
