(Sugar Grove, IL) – The Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference (ISCC) women's volleyball title came down to the final match Thursday evening. Waubonsee Community College entered the evening with a 6-0 record in league play, while visiting Moraine Valley Community College carried a 5-1 mark into Waubonsee's Erickson Hall Gymnasium looking to grab a share of the crown. After celebrating the team's six sophomores prior to the match on Sophomore Night, the Chiefs then continued the celebration by sweeping the Cyclones three games to none to secure the outright title. Waubonsee won 25-19, 25-13 and 25-20 to capture the third ISCC title in program history. All three championships have come under the direction of Steve Kish, who is in his 10th season at Waubonsee. The Chiefs finish the regular season 22-9 overall, and will likely be one of the top seeds in the upcoming Region IV Division II Tournament set for Saturday, November 6 and Sunday, November 7. The tournament will be hosted by McHenry County College in Crystal Lake.
Game one started off with a kill by Olivia McPherson to get things going. From that point on the teams battled back and forth with neither team gaining more than a two-point advantage for most of the set. The game was tied at 13-all when Moraine Valley's Abby Sarich went up high to block a kill attempt by McPherson. That seemed to spark the Chiefs' sophomore as she registered a pair of thunderous kills in the next three volleys. The Chiefs then took a 20-17 lead when a Cyclones' return sailed out of bounds, prompting head coach Lauren Lorenz to call timeout. A kill from the right side by Evelyn Martin and another return error on the Cyclones pushed Waubonsee's lead to 23-17. Moments later another big kill by Martin from the same spot on the floor set the Chiefs up for the game one victory. On the ensuing volley the Cyclones' return shot again sailed wide of the sideline in front of the Chiefs' bench for a 25-19 Waubonsee win.
The Chiefs carried that momentum into game two, grabbing an early 8-1 lead highlighted by a kill and a two service aces by McPherson. Waubonsee kept the Cyclones at arm's length for much of the remainder of the game. The Chiefs pushed their lead to 15-8 when Martin scored another kill from the right side. Moments later McPherson registered another ace to make it 17-8 as Moraine Valley called timeout to try and regroup. A kill by Jillian Scull extended the Chiefs' lead to 19-9. A dual block by Kaylee Read and Kiara McPherson put Waubonsee in front 20-10. Not long afterwards Olivia McPherson finished off the Chiefs' victory with two straight power spikes for a 25-13 triumph.
In game three Waubonsee took an early 4-2 lead on another dominating kill by Olivia McPherson. The Cyclones fought back to tie things at 6-all on an emphatic kill at the net by Takiyah Clark. A pair of kills by Anna Gonzalez, a net violation by the Cyclones and a kill by Martin put Waubonsee in front 11-7. Moraine Valley responded to tie the game at 13-all before Waubonsee pulled ahead by two, only to see the Cyclones tie it again. A kill by Olivia McPherson gave the Chiefs the lead again. Moments later Read and Scull teamed up for a block, and then a net violation by Moraine Valley extended the lead to 19-15. Minutes later Waubonsee added to that four-point margin when another return error by Moraine Valley made the score 22-17. A kill by Read, set up perfectly by Kiara McPherson, created match point for Waubonsee with a 24-19 lead. The Cyclones booked the next point, and the Chiefs then clinched the ISCC title a moment later when Olivia McPherson's kill shot hit the top of the net and rolled over to the other side, dropping in front of a diving Sarich to end the match.
Olivia McPherson led Waubonsee with 14 kills, three aces, 13 digs and two solo blocks. The Aurora West High School graduate is now tied for 5th in aces (66), is 15th nationally in total kills (410), 19th in kills per set (3.87), ninth in total points (492.5) and 20th in points per set (4.65) among all NJCAA Division II players. Her twin sister Kiara finished the match with 30 assists, giving her 1,012 assists on the season to currently rank ninth in the nation in that category. The 5'5" setter is 12th nationally in assists per set with a 9.55 average. Gonzalez added eight kills, Emalee Wiley chipped in with 11 digs, and Martin finished with six kills.
