After winning their first two matches, the Rochelle Township High School girls’ varsity volleyball team lost three straight matches to take fourth place in the 26th Annual Lady Hub Invitational Saturday. Eight teams throughout northern Illinois competed.
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ROCHELLE — It was a tough ending to a long day of whistles, volleys and high fives.
After winning their first two matches, the Rochelle Township High School girls’ varsity volleyball team lost three straight matches to take fourth place in the 26th Annual Lady Hub Invitational Saturday. Eight teams throughout northern Illinois competed.
“After starting out so well, it’s too bad we couldn’t have finished the same way,” RTHS head coach Molly Sly said.
The final match was a heart breaking 19-25, 25-25-22, 29-35 loss to Ottawa.
Sly said she was really hoping to beat Ottawa since the Lady Pirates are in the same division as Rochelle. A win would have given the Lady Hubs an idea of where they may fit into the conference.
As they had in all of their losses, the Lady Hubs started out slow against Ottawa in the third-place match. The effect of playing in their third straight match in less than two hours – and their fifth in seven hours seemed to show as some volleys began to hit the net and others that had been landing just inside the line where now just wide.
After losing its final game of the initial round robin to open the tournament, Rochelle then lost to McHenry to set up the match with Ottawa.
Halfway through the second game with the Lady Pirates that all changed as the Lady Hubs slowly crept up on Ottawa, caught them, then surged past them, outscoring their visitors 6-3 to tie the match up.
Behind three quick kills by Sylvia Hasz, the Lady Hubs took a brief 4-1 lead, only to watch Ottawa slowly come back.
Playing another outstanding match, the Rochelle senior had 10 kills and 13 digs. Freshman teammate Dempsey Atkinson added 14 digs.
The lead changed hands four times before Ottawa got control of the match. Despite several spirited exchanges, and the small gym echoing with the cheers of Rochelle fans, the older and more experienced Ottawa team finally pulled away.
Sly said she thought that playing Ottawa may have been the incentive for Rochelle to mount its comeback.
“Most definitely,” Hasz agreed.
Rochelle opened the tournament by beating Lisle, 25-9, 25-14. Hasz led the Lady Hubs with 12 kills. Baylie Sutton and Kennedy Adamski added six kills each.
Rochelle then beat Freeport, 25-19, 25-19. Hasz had 18 kills, eight digs and five assists. Addie Friestad had 10 kills, Taelynn Rodeghero had six, one more than Sutton.
In between matches, Rochelle senior Zoe Rourke said the girls spent their time in the locker room, just hanging out and watching the other matches.
“I love to watch the other teams play,” she said.
Over all, it was a very long day of volleyball, which was fine with Hasz.
“I love it,” she said.
