Neither the Lady Hubs varsity volleyball team nor the Plano Reapers could gain any momentum on one another when the two squads squared off at Rochelle Township High School on Tuesday, but the purple and white found a way to bring home their first home victory of the 2017 season.
This item is available in full to subscribers.
To continue reading, you will need to either log in to your subscriber account, or purchase a new subscription.
If you are a current print subscriber, you can set up a free website account and connect your subscription to it by clicking here.
If you are a digital subscriber with an active, online-only subscription then you already have an account here. Just reset your password if you've not yet logged in to your account on this new site.
Otherwise, click here to view your options for subscribing.
Please log in to continue |
ROCHELLE — Neither the Lady Hubs varsity volleyball team nor the Plano Reapers could gain any momentum on one another when the two squads squared off at Rochelle Township High School on Tuesday, but the purple and white found a way to bring home their first home victory of the 2017 season.
Junior Emma Mehrings recorded the final kill to put Rochelle up after the first set, and the Lady Hubs capitalized on an early lead in the second set to win the match by a score of 25-22, 25-17. Mehrings totaled a team-high five kills to lead RTHS, while junior Grace Orlikowski added three kills. Seniors Allysa Harding and Morgan Knight each notched two kills.
“We’ve been working for this since last season,” Knight said. “Starting off with a strong win at home is really going to help us. Our chemistry has been really good since our junior class is really tight, and we all have personalities that really mix. We all complement each other.”
Both teams struggled to find offensive rhythm early in the match, but the Lady Hubs rallied around senior setter Jacie Wyatt, who finished the evening with 12 assists to lead all Rochelle players. Wyatt served as her team’s primary setter last season, but with younger players such as junior Mandi Lamb earning varsity experience, Wyatt’s role has become more flexible. The senior recorded five digs, two aces and one kill in Tuesday’s victory over the Reapers.
“I set the ball for most of the time in this game, but on free balls Mandi gets the set,” Wyatt said. “Sometimes I hit right side so I think they’re trying me out as a hitter more this year, but I’m still a setter at the same time.”
Juniors Sarah Craven and Emily Engelkes combined for seven digs to anchor the Rochelle defense, with Lamb adding two digs. The Lady Hubs (2-3-2 overall) will have a short time to celebrate Tuesday’s win before they travel to Yorkville High School on Thursday for a conference match against the Lady Foxes, who cruised over Rochelle on its home floor last year.
“We’re going to have to play with supreme confidence,” Lady Hubs head coach John Pfaff said. “Yorkville is big, they’re experienced and they have a lot of kids who really know how to play volleyball. But if we walk into their gym and expect to win, I think we have a shot.”
