JCA, Lincoln-Way West to meet in regional championship after semifinal wins

NEW LENOX – If you’re just a fan of local girls volleyball, you truly couldn’t lose Tuesday no matter the outcome. Lincoln-Way West hosted a Class 4A regional semifinal doubleheader beginning with West playing Plainfield North. That was followed by Joliet Catholic taking on Plainfield South for a spot in the regional final Thursday.

Again, if you’re a fan of local volleyball, you were a winner no matter what the outcome. If you’re a fan of Lincoln-Way West and JCA, however, you’re probably smiling a little bit wider.

The evening began with the Warriors beating Plainfield North 25-23, 22-25, 25-13. It ended with JCA beating Plainfield South 25-19, 25-9 to set up a regional championship Thursday night between the Angels and the Warriors in New Lenox.

The first contest was a bit of a roller coaster as the Warriors (25-12) had an up-and-down experience to claim the first set and dropped the second. They managed to come together in the third to put forth a dominant performance and advance to the next round of the playoffs.

“We need to play to win,” coach Kendall Villa said. “I think we were a little timid at times and looked afraid to make the error. You have to take control and that starts with the pass. We did a much better job with the pass in the third (set) which was a big difference. We just need to keep playing to win and not to not lose.”

After Lincoln-Way West took an early 2-1 edge, the Tigers scored seven straight points to pull ahead 8-2. The Warriors wouldn’t be deterred by a slow start as they went on a 10-4 run started by Caroline Smith’s kill to tie the opening set at 12. The teams began a seesaw dual from there with Plainfield North taking a 16-14 edge before three straight points put the Warriors back on top 17-16.

The seesaw continued, however, as a block by Dalynn Duria tied the score again. The two squads exchanged leads and ties from there until Lincoln-Way West managed two straight points to get the 25-23 win.

Set 2 saw the Tigers come back with a vengeance. They scored the first five points as the Warriors’ first point coming on a serving error. The Plainfield North lead grew to 9-3 before a 4-0 run by the Warriors made it 9-7. A kill by Riley Cunningham started a 3-0 run for the Tigers to make it 12-7, and they increased their lead to 15-9 in a hurry.

The Warriors have been a resilient team all season, and they showed it with a 6-0 run to tie the score, capped by an ace by Ellie Laack before taking a 16-15 lead on a Plainfield North error the next play. The two teams traded points from there before a 3-0 stretch put the Tigers up 20-18. They kept that momentum going to win the set 25-22.

Set 3 saw the teams battle to a 4-4 tie before six straight by the Warriors gave them the edge. The teams exchanged points from there with the Warriors remaining in front. As the set grew on, so too did the Warriors’ lead as they pulled ahead 21-12 before winning 25-13.

Smith and Ellie Decker each had 14 kills, Laack had five aces, Claire Murphy had 20 assists and Decker added 11 digs while Laney Tuttle had 12.

“I think our communication and energy was a lot better in the third set,” Decker said. “We came out strong and that really got us going. We carried that energy for the rest of the set.”

Plainfield North finishes the season with a record of 9-24.

“I appreciate all the years our seniors put into the program,” coach Matt Slechta said. “We had only three, and they’ve done a lot for this program over the past couple of years.”

As for the second match, Set 1 was close early. Plainfield South maintained a 7-4 advantage when a 5-1 run put JCA in front. The Angels’ advantage grew to 12-9, and they continued to grow their lead behind the play of Ellie Blotnik, eventually going up 17-12. The Cougars wouldn’t go down easily as they used a 6-1 run to tie the score at 18.

The Cougars (15-16) and Angels traded points before JCA closed with six unanswered points to win 25-19.

In Set 2, things started out as even as the first with both team locked in a 5-5 draw to start. A 12-1 run by the Angels pushed them ahead 18-6, however, including 10 straight to put JCA firmly in control.

“We did a lot of prep work,” coach Kisha Cameron said. “The girls were motivated and had it in their minds that we were making it to Thursday. They executed well and looked clean, so I’m happy with it.”

JCA (20-15) was led by Blotnik (six kills, one block, five digs), Heavenly Sarfo (four kills), Ella Godeaux (nine digs) and Delani Kirstein (six kills). The Angels’ attention now turns to the regional championship match at 6 p.m. Thursday.

“There’s going to be a lot of energy,” Blotnik said. “It’s going to be a good game, but I think we can handle them.”