It’s always tough playing the Monday after winning a weekend tournament championship, but junior outside hitter Mia Jurkovic was up to the task and then some for Oswego.
Gary Mosley had seen this building at Champaign Central, so it brought a smile to the coach’s face. Jurkovic was on a mission as the Panthers opened a nonconference match.
Subtlety could be saved for another day.
“Mia really started to find her groove ? find her timing and decision-making,” Mosley said of his Jurkovic-led team taking the title at the Champaign Central Tournament.
The 6-foot Jurkovic came out on fire Monday against Aurora Central Catholic, delivering a pair of blocks and a pair of kills to spark a 6-2 run at the start of the first game.
Moving to the service line, Jurkovic landed an ace and ran off five straight points, boosted by a pair of kills from Sidney Hamaker and a kill from Kelsey Foster. That extended the lead and set the tone in a 25-19, 25-13 victory over the host Chargers in Aurora.
“I’m glad you saw that because that’s exactly what it was,” Mosley said. “It’s really starting to come together for her.”
The same could be said for the Panthers (15-1), who took over the top spot in the Aurora-Elgin area rankings despite suffering their first loss.
A win over competitive but undersized Aurora Central Catholic (10-13) capped a 6-1 stretch in six days for Oswego.
The tournament was the test.
“Down there Friday night in the first set in a win over Sullivan, Mia struggled a little bit,” Mosley said. “It was a slower-paced team, and it’s harder for these girls because they play so fast.
“When we got to the second match, she really found it.”
Improved decision-making and consistent swings followed.
“For me, to watch her evolve over the weekend, it seemed like things really were clicking for her,” Mosley said. “She carried that over.”
Unfortunately, that second match at Champaign ended with a disputed 25-20, 16-25, 15-13 loss to St. Thomas More, ending Oswego’s season-opening winning streak when two points may have been credited to the wrong team.
“We had more points than it showed on the board in the end,” Hamaker said. “I think it would have changed the outcome, but it is what it is. We can’t change it. We just move on.”
Mosley was happy with his team’s fight.
“We came all the way back,” he said. “And if it was to happen, that was a good place rather than later.”
The Panthers won all three matches Saturday to take the title.
Jurkovic finished with 39 kills, 41 digs, five blocks and four aces in the tournament to join Hamaker, a 6-1 junior outside hitter, on the all-tournament team. A Long Beach State commit, Hamaker ended up with 64 kills.
“Our flow was as good as it’s ever been,” Jurkovic said. “Since it was an overnight trip, we got to spend a lot of time together and do a lot of team bonding.
“I feel like that helped our winning streak and momentum.”
Senior Riley Borrowman and sophomore Maya Norlin, Oswego’s middle hitters, contributed 11 kills apiece. Foster, a junior, added nine kills and team-high 13 aces in the tourney.
Junior setter Ava Flanigan, who had 77 assists, is in her second season on the varsity with Hamaker and Jurkovic.
“I’m more confident in this season than I was last year,” Jurkovic said. “Having Sidney and Ava with me going up together, it’s good because that setter-outside hitter is an important connection.
“Every day that goes by is one step better.”
Hamaker said the connection continues to grow.
“We’re all best friends on and off the court,” she said. “That also really helps — having that trust level with each other. It helped playing together last season, because at the start of this season, we were right back where we were at the end of last season.”