Oh, so close.
No. 7 Naperville North was within two match points Wednesday of defeating No. 4 Naperville Central and all but assuring itself a DuPage Valley Conference title.
But the visiting Redhawks scored four unanswered points to win Game 2, then stormed to a 14-5 lead in Game 2 on their way to a 25-27, 26-24, 25-19 win.
The outcome left both teams tied atop the DVC with 11-1 records. But the mood was understandably more celebratory on the Naperville Central side.
“We just told ourselves to keep working hard and not panic when we get into long rallies,” said Central senior Kelly Farrell, who had a career-high seven kills in relief of the injured Meghan Bray. “[We] just keep fighting.”
Naperville North (23-4) did most of its fighting climbing out of a 19-13 hole in Game 1. Emily Cardwell (eight kills) and Nrithya Sundararaman (10 kills, four blocks) each had four kills to ignite the Game 1 rally.
“I was really proud of our team in Game 1,” Sundararaman said. “We were communicating well in Game 1 and most of Game 2. But in Game 3, our communication broke down. You could feel the mood drop a little bit in game three.”
Emily McGee (22 kills) led the Central (24-3) charge in the decisive final game, collecting eight kills, a block and an ace. Kelsey Hoey added 29 assists and Mary Carroll contributed five kills.
“We were a little more aggressive in Game 3,” Central coach Brie Isaacson said. “Kelly (Farrell) did a good job of holding her own. Playing in some of the big matches that we have helped us.”
Jordan Pappas added 30 assists and Julie Chin had 23 digs for Naperville North.
“We don’t have that one dominant player and we’re most successful when everybody contributes,” Naperville North coach Jennifer Urban said. “Not everybody was on the same page tonight. We’re still looking for that consistent fight on our side.”
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