Girls volleyball: Joliet West holds off scrappy Romeoville to win in 3 sets

JOLIET – There was a lesson for both teams Thursday night when Joliet West and Romeoville squared off in the Southwest Prairie Conference opener for both teams.

It’s not over until it’s over.

Joliet West won the first set handily, 25-13, and the Tigers were seemingly on their way to a two-set sweep when they held a 19-9 lead in the second set.

Someone forgot to tell Romeoville that the match was over, however, and the Spartans, sparked by the serving and defense of sophomore libero Lexi Crowley, reeled off 10 straight points to tie it at 19. The Spartans continued to match the Tigers point for point before winning the second set, 26-24.

However, Joliet West (2-1, 1-0 SPC) righted the ship and cruised to 25-11 third-set win to take the match.

“I was very proud of our girls to come back and show their skills in the third set,” West coach Chris Lincoln said. “It showed a lot of maturity to come back after losing a big lead in the second set.”

Throughout the match, the Tigers rode the strong right arm of junior outside hitter Ava Grevengoed, who finished with a match-high 16 kills to go with six digs.

“I felt good swinging all night,” Grevengoed said. “We struggled with our energy a little bit in the second set, but we got it back in the third.

“The setters [Ashlyn Noon and Taylor Brenczewski] were putting it right there for me to hit. I was happy to see Taylor get in for the first time this year.”

Grevengoed was a terror early in the first set, recording three kills as West raced out to a 10-3 lead. She then served four straight points, including a kill of her own from the back row, to put the Tigers ahead 16-5. After Payton Darguzis (6 kills, 2 aces) had back-to-back kills for a 20-10 West lead, Grevengoed had three more kills in the final five West points.

It was more of the same early in the second, with Grevengoed collecting three kills and Brenczewski serving an ace en route to a quick 9-2 lead. Olivia Baxter (14 digs) later added an ace as the Tigers moved out to the 19-9 lead.

Then Crowley stepped to the line for Romeoville (3-5, 0-1).

The sophomore had a pair of aces, and even was credited with a kill when she dug a Grevengoed kill attempt and it landed near the back line behind the Tigers’ defense. Chloe Anderson and Demi Cole each had a kill for the Spartans, and three straight West hitting errors tied the score. Grevengoed gave West a 20-19 lead, but another West hitting error tied it again. Grevengoed traded kills with Kameron Blizniak twice for a 22-22 tie. The score was also tied at 23 and 24 before Romeoville’s Alane Henderson-Pruitt got a kill and a block to force a third set.

“We are a young team,” first-year Romeoville coach Paige Reinert said. “This will show the girls that they can compete in any match.

“Lexi did an outstanding job, both serving and on defense. Our middles [Cole and Henderson-Pruitt] have a lot of talent. We are building this year. Our setter and libero are both sophomores. I am excited to see what these girls are capable of.”

Gabby Piazza (6 kills, 5 digs, 4 aces) came up big for the Tigers in the third set, delivering three kills and three aces, while Darguzis also had three kills, including the final one on match point.

“It was good for us to have a match like this,” Lincoln said. “Now, if it happens in the future where we lose a lead and have to play another set, we know how to shake it off and start fresh.

“We know that Ava is very dependable. She is not only a leader with her energy on the floor, but she leads by example as well.”