SYCAMORE — A season of struggles and inconsistency came to an end Monday evening when the Lady Hubs varsity volleyball team squared off with Wheaton Academy in the IHSA Class 3A Regional Quarterfinals at Sycamore High School.

Rochelle started strong in the first set, but Wheaton Academy rallied for seven of the final nine points to take the set 25-20. The Warriors found even more offensive rhythm in the second set, and the Lady Hubs were unable to tighten up a shaky defensive effort, falling 25-12 to finish the 2017 season 7-25-2 overall.

“I thought we played really well in the front row,” head coach John Pfaff said. “Our blocking and our attacking was good, and when our setters got a chance to get their hands on the ball, they put it in the right spots.”

Monday’s match figured to be close between No. 7 seed Wheaton Academy and No. 9 seed Rochelle, and both the Lady Hubs and the Warriors looked locked in during the first set. Rochelle took the first timeout of the match with the first set tied 13-13, and the match remained tied 18-18 minutes later.

But some communication issues in the back row doomed the Lady Hubs late in the first set, and Wheaton Academy continued to capitalize on Rochelle’s defensive mistakes.

“I think that caught up with us in the second set,” Pfaff said. “We were swinging with them in the first set and we were getting good kills at the right time to keep our momentum going. We had some hitting errors, and once they started picking their offense up, our ball control hurt us in the end.”

Senior Jacie Wyatt and junior Emma Mehrings each recorded five kills to lead the Rochelle offense, while sophomore Maggie Duval and freshman Clare Green combined for 15 assists. Monday’s regional match was the first for many Rochelle players, and while the Lady Hubs will be graduating several seniors including Wyatt, Alexis Crawford and Allysa Harding, Pfaff said the returning players can use the loss to Wheaton Academy for motivation heading into 2018.

“When we have an opportunity to beat a team that’s higher than us in regionals and it’s an even match… That’s an opportunity we’re really tossing away,” Pfaff said. “Unfortunately our seniors won’t have another chance.”