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Tuesday’s semifinal match at the Class 4A Joliet West Sectional was a little closer than Joliet West would have liked. That’s because Oswego gave the Tigers everything they wanted before West came away with a 25-20, 23-25, 25-14 win. Sophomore Lexie Grevengoed had a team-leading 16 kills for the Tigers (35-3), while Lina Govoni had 10 kills. Oswego’s Hannah Herrick led all players with 20 kills. “I was a little nervous starting the third set,” Grevengoed said, “but we were able to get a lot of energy in that set. We had one of our players [Penny Wagner] get hurt, and we were all fighting for her. It was a total team win. Emma Salerno came in for Penny and got a couple of big kills for us, Lola Berta played great defense, and we were all aggressive. “It feels really good to be playing for a sectional title, and it will be a lot of fun to do it on our own floor. There’s always a lot of energy when we play at home, and we want to use that.” Joliet West took command early in the first set, getting out to a 9-3 lead. Oswego (20-18) rallied to get to within 11-8, but Grevengoed delivered three straight kills before an Oswego hitting error gave the Tigers a 15-8 lead. Again, Oswego rallied, this time pulling to within 18-17 on a kill by Herrick. The Panthers tied it at 19 on a kill by Maya Norlin and a West net violation, but the Tigers went on a 6-1 run to end the set, getting two kills by Grevengoed before a block by Wagner ended it. Oswego fell behind 5-2 in the second set, but stormed back with nine straight points, getting three kills and a block from Herrick, to take an 11-5 lead. West countered with a 6-1 run of its own to pull to within 12-11 and eventually tied it at 13. The Tigers moved out to a 19-16 lead after back-to-back kills by Govoni, but Oswego scored the next seven points - including two kills and a block by Herrick and a pair of aces by Avery Borowski - to take a 23-19 lead. Joliet West scored the next four points, tying the score at 23, before Oswego scored the final two points to force a third set. “To even get to this point of the year after all the adversity this team has gone through is a great accomplishment,” Oswego coach Gary Mosley said. “What you saw on the court tonight is how these girls have played all season. They never go down without a fight, and I have a lot of love for this group of girls. “Hannah Herrick is unbelievable, and Maya Norlin had a great night tonight as well. They’ve been in tough matches in their careers, and they answered the bell tonight.” The third set was tight early, with Oswego taking an 8-7 lead on back-to-back aces by Herrick. West answered with five straight points, including a pair of kills by Grevengoed. She then had three straight kills to put her team ahead 15-9. Herrick’s 20th kill got the Panthers to within 20-14, but they didn’t score again, as West got three kills by Mady Gant, an ace by Berta and a kill by Grevengoed to close it out. “We knew coming in that Herrick is one of the best players in the state and she was going to get her kills,” West coach Chris Lincoln said. “Our girls responded well, though. We started serving tougher, and that helped us a lot. Faith Jordan had some big blocks, Emma Salerno did a good job off the bench, and Lola Berta served well and played great defense.” In the second semifinal of the night Lockport dispatched Waubonsie Valley 25-18, 25-16. The Porters were a picture of efficiency throughout, rarely making unforced errors. They also came up big at the net on defense and passed well, and the hitters took advantage. The Porters were led by Hutsyn Timosciek (seven kills), Bridget Ferriter (seven kills), Emma Consigny (eight digs), Natalie Bochantin (12 assists, two aces) and Malia Cole (three blocks). “We focused a lot on our serves tonight,” Ferriter said. “That and just being consistent were our main focuses. ... We know that Thursday is going to be a big match. We saw the first match tonight and we know that their crowd could be a factor with their energy. We’re excited to play.” The Porters (31-7) got out to a 4-2 lead early and never trailed in the first set, although Waubonsie Valley tied it at 5. Ferriter had five of her kills in the opening set, while Timosciek had four. Lockport pulled away with a 6-1 run, highlighted by an ace from Bochantin and a kill by Timosciek. Olivia Meier ended the set with a kill. Lockport got out to a 7-3 lead in the second set, but Waubonsie Valley got to within 11-9. The Warriors received back-to-back kills from Addilyn Candrian and one from Kathryn Travis to get to within 14-13, but Lockport outscored the Warriors 11-3 down the stretch to advance to Thursday’s 6 p.m. title match against West. “I am very proud of this team,” Waubonsie Valley coach Noel Soto said. “We started the season 0-4, but they didn’t put their heads down. They worked very hard all year and they all get along very well. This is my first year as a head girls coach, and I couldn’t have asked for a better team. They have left their legacy and set a standard for Waubonsie Valley volleyball.” Lockport coach Nick Mraz was pleased with his team’s showing. “We didn’t have many unforced errors tonight,” he said. “We had minimal hitting errors, and we cleaned up our serves in the second set. We also passed well and kept the pressure on their defense. ... “We know it’s going to be tough Thursday. You don’t make a sectional final unless you are a very good team, and Joliet West is a very good team. It’s going to be a fun environment, and we are looking forward to it.”
