Donning a DuPage Valley Conference Championship T-shirt, West Chicago coach Kris Hasty summed up the Wildcats’ struggles the last few years.
“We’ve taken our lumps for years,” Hasty said following Thursday’s 25-21, 23-25, 25-22 victory over Wheaton Warrenville South. “This feels good.”
The No. 4 Wildcats defeated the Tigers for the third time this year to earn their first DVC title since 1979. For Hasty, the conference title erased years of frustration, including a winless season in 2007.
“This is a pretty awesome feeling,” Hasty said. “It’s something we worked hard for. To get the payoff is really cool.”
The Tigers (13-15, 5-7) made the Wildcats fight for every point, forcing West Chicago (23-0, 12-0) to a third game for just the second time this season. West Chicago middle hitter Emily Paschke squashed Wheaton South’s upset bid with two late kills.
“We were nervous at first and didn’t get in a good rhythm,” Paschke said. “We pulled it out. This is the greatest accomplishment. It was such a team effort.”
Wheaton South sophomore Stephanie Budlong pounded down two key kills to help the Tigers force a third game.
Whetaon South’s Jacky Rodriguez served up two straight aces in a four-point run to give the Tigers a 16-14 third-game lead. West Chicago junior outside hitter Julia Conard (11 kills, three aces) settled the Wildcats with her hitting and serving.
Kathy Fletcher (12 kills) secured the victory for the Wildcats with three kills down the stretch before Paschke closed it out.
“It’s been 31 years since we last won conference,” Conard said. “This was one of our goals at the beginning of the year.”
Player of the match:
Julia Conard, West Chicago, 11 kills, 3 aces.
Key performers:
Wheaton Warrenville South — Shealyn Kolosky, 11 kills, 4 blocks, 2 aces; Kate Phalen, 10 kills; Jacky Rodriguez, 21 digs, 3 aces. West Chicago — Kathy Fletcher, 12 kills; Emily Paschke, 6 kills, 3 blocks.