Girls Volleyball: Oswego battles past Yorkville
BY CHRIS WALKER For Sun-Times Media October 22, 2012 9:22PM
Oswego's Katelyn Burke (center) and Jenny Greenwood (right) block a spike from Yorkville's Rebecca Nauman (left) during a Class 4A regional match. | Mike Mantucca ~ For Sun-Times Media
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Updated: November 24, 2012 6:18AM
Yorkville was hoping for a good run in the state series, but Oswego has other plans during Monday’s Class 4A Plainfield North regional quarterfinal.
The Panthers ended the Foxes season, winning a pair of close games, 25-19 and 25-23, to earn an opportunity to face host Plainfield North on Tuesday at 6 p.m.
“We’ve been playing so well lately,” Oswego coach Erica Lorenz said. “They’ve just been phenomenal so we’re peaking at the right time.”
Oswego (14-19) had to fight through six ties in Game 1 before it was able to pull away.
The Panthers led 20-19 before scoring five straight points to close out the victory.
Yorkville (20-11) appeared ready to force a third game as the Foxes built a 19-15 lead in Game 2.
After a Panthers timeout though, the Foxes surrendered four straight points, including a pair on a kill and then a block by senior co-captain Jenny Greenwood.
“We didn’t take advantage and we had plenty of chances in the second game,” Yorkville coach Mike Dunn said. “We knew what to expect from them, but you’re only good as how you play on your side of the net.”
The Foxes rallied back to take a 22-19 in Game 2 on a Julia Craig ace, but the Panthers fought back to knot things at 23-all before putting the game away on a block from Jordan Campbell and ace from freshman Katelyn Burke.
“We got a pretty big block there,” Lorenz said. “And for it to end on an ace, especially from a freshman, that’s kind of epic.”
While the loss was a tough ending for the Foxes, it does little to diminish a great season that saw them share a championship in the Northern Illinois Big 12 East Conference.
“We didn’t play well today. We made a lot of errors,” Dunn said. “But this is a group that will never be forgotten.”
