The 2022 home opener for Waubonsee Community College's women's volleyball team began a new era for the program as first-year head coach Megan Kronschnabel made her home debut. Ironically, it was against the College of Lake County, now coached by the person she took the reins from. Aurora East High School alumnus Steve Kish, who stepped down last November after leading the Chiefs' program to unprecedented heights during his 10-year tenure, returned to Erickson Hall for the first time wearing the Lancers' dark blue colors. His new team prevailed three games to one in the Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference (ISCC) match. Lake County won the first two games by scores of 25-17 and 25-19 before Waubonsee took game three 25-17. The Lancers then secured the victory by winning game four 25-19.
An extended volley on the opening point of the match eventually went the Lancers (3-2, 1-0) way when a Waubonsee return shot sailed wide of the right baseline. Waubonsee (1-6, 0-1) got on the board a minute later when Jordan Weber got a kill from the left side of the net. Lake County led 7-3 before the Chiefs reeled off three straight points punctuated by an ace by Weber. Lake County responded by scoring four straight points to grab an 11-6 lead and prompt Kronschnabel to call timeout. When play resumed the Lancers won five of the next six points to take control of the game 16-7. A block by Abby Colon only temporarily slowed down Lake County's momentum as they surged in front 21-11. Weber tallied another kill to get the Chiefs within 23-16. However, the Lancers took game one 25-17 when Ligaya Garibay tapped a return shot out of the reach of Waubonsee's Emalee Wiley.
Game two started with the 6'0 Weber basically dunking a ball that was close to the net for a kill as Waubonsee went on to grab an early 4-1 lead. Lake County bounced back to pull ahead 7-5 highlighted by a thunderous spike by Alayna Malec. The Lancers led 13-8 until Colon registered a kill from the left side. An ace by Gianna Raimondi got the Chiefs within three points at 14-11, and moments later Waubonsee trailed by only one point. The teams traded points until Lake County's Raia Ahmed recorded a big kill from the middle of the net to end a prolonged and intense volley. Lake County looking to take a commanding two games to none lead went ahead 18-14. An ace by Ahmed pushed the lead to 20-15 as the Lancers kept Waubonsee back on its heels. Sarah Sandusky, who recently joined the squad from the softball team, momentarily broke that momentum as she tallied a kill to again get the Chiefs within four points. But that is as close as they would get as Lake County clinched game two 25-19 on an ace by Brianna Morris.
The Chiefs started game three on a roll once again as a service ace by Raimondi gave them an early 4-0 lead. Lake County battled back once more to tie the game and then took a 7-5 lead on a pair of kills by Garibay. Weber then drilled a shot from the middle for a point and Garibay misfired on a return shot a moment later to knot the score at 7-all. Another kill by Weber down the right side staked Waubonsee to a 9-7 lead. The Chiefs eventually took their biggest lead up to that point at 15-10 as the teams battled back and forth. Waubonsee increased the lead to 21-13 when southpaw Norah Molitor served up an ace and Weber registered another kill. A kill by Chloe Mellman from the middle of the net set up game point for the Chiefs at 24-16. A moment later Mellman delivered again with the game-winning kill as Waubonsee won 25-17 to stay alive.
Game four the Lancers held leads of 3-1, 6-4 and 9-7 as they tried to hold off Waubonsee. A pair of miscues by the Chiefs extended the lead to 12-8 and Kronschnabel called time out to try and get her crew regrouped. Back-to-back net violations by the Lancers got Waubonsee within two points, but that is as close as they would get the rest of the way. A power spike by Garibay pushed the lead to 17-11 and forced another Chiefs' timeout. This time Waubonsee was unable to keep pace as Lake County increased its lead to 21-12. A pair of violations against the Chiefs made the score 23-14 before Weber tallied another kill to keep Waubonsee alive a little longer. Facing match point the Chiefs then put together a run of four straight points to make it 24-19 and cause Kish to call a timeout. However, a kill by Ahmed on the ensuing volley finished off the game and match in favor of the Lancers.
Waubonsee was led by Weber who ended the evening with 17 kills, four aces and six digs. Chiefs' libero Madison Marziani-Radomski was credited with 14 digs, while Raimondi finished with 32 assists, two aces and seven digs. Kronschnabel's Chiefs are in action again tomorrow, Thursday, October 1 when they travel to south suburban Cicero to square off against Morton College in another ISCC match set to being at 6:00 p.m.