(Sugar Grove, IL) – Waubonsee Community College looked like a different team on day two of the 2022 Region IV Women's Volleyball Crossover Tournament. However, in the end the result was the same for the Chiefs (3-13) as Sauk Valley Community College (9-11) won their afternoon match 3-1. The Skyhawks, who received votes in the top-25 of the latest NJCAA Division II poll, did not have an answer for the Chiefs' balanced attack and made several hitting errors early in the match. As a result the Chiefs used that recipe to take the opener 25-14. Sauk Valley then began to get on track and won game two 25-20. Game three went back and forth before the Skyhawks prevailed 25-23. Sauk Valley then held off Waubonsee to take game four 25-22 and win the match.

Waubonsee took an early 5-1 lead capped off by a nice drop shot at the net by Abby Colon. The Chiefs extended their lead to 13-5 when Jordan Weber served up an ace. The Skyhawks slightly chipped away at the deficit before a block by Gianna Raimondi gave Waubonsee a 16-8 advantage. Another block a minute later by Chloe Mellman pushed the lead to double-digits at 18-8 forcing a Sauk Valley timeout. When play resumed the Chiefs continued to take it to the Skyhawks. A kill by Colon put Waubonsee in front 21-10 and in control of the game. A couple minutes later Colon finished off the 25-14 win with a perfectly placed spike to the back left corner of the court.

Game two went back and forth in the early going with the score tied at 5-all. A pair of kills by Sauk Valley's Maya Gartin and an ace by Nicole Boelens, that literally hit the net and rolled over the edge, suddenly put Sauk Valley in the lead 8-5. Waubonsee, highlighted by a power kill from the left side by Weber, got back to within a point at 10-9. Sauk Valley then began to go away from their power game and scored several points with soft drop shot returns, catching the Chiefs off guard. After a timeout Waubonsee reeled off four straight points, capped off by an ace by Raimondi, to knot the score at 14-all. The Skyhawks responded by winning the next four points to prompt Waubonsee head coach Megan Kronschnabel to call timeout. After the break Sauk Valley pulled away for a 25-20 victory to even the match at a game apiece.

The Skyhawks took an early 4-2 lead in the pivotal third game. A cross-court kill by Weber got Waubonsee within 6-4 and Izandra Graf then followed with three straight aces to put the Chiefs in front 7-6. A kill by Colon a couple minutes later extended the lead to 11-8. Waubonsee led 13-9 before Sauk Valley rallied by scoring seven straight points to grab a 16-13 lead. After a Chiefs' timeout Weber registered a spike from the left side as part of four straight Waubonsee points and a 17-16 lead. Moments later a service error by Sauk Valley allowed Waubonsee to tie it at 18-all as the game went down to the wire. A miscue by the Chiefs, an ace and a kill suddenly gave the Skyhawks a 23-19 lead. Waubonsee then scored three straight, highlighted by an ace from Madison Marziani-Radomski. However, a kill from the right side to the far left corner of the floor by Gartin won it for Sauk Valley 25-23.

The Skyhawks carried that momentum into the fourth game and snagged a 7-1 lead at the outset.  Waubonsee battled back to get within 9-8 on a big kill by Colon. A moment later a double-hit by Sauk Valley allowed the Chiefs to pull even at 10-all. Midway through the game it was tied at 12 before the Skyhawks tallied five straight points to get the upper hand. The Chiefs finally broke that streak when Weber finished off likely the longest volley of the season thus far with a kill to the middle of the court. Waubonsee tried to claw its way back to within striking distance. An ace by Graf and a block by Weber helped the Chiefs get within three at 20-17. A thunderous kill by Colon and another by Weber made the score 23-21 as the Skyhawks tried to hold off Waubonsee's rally. After a timeout by Sauk Valley, a kill by Tiana Tichler set up game and match point for the Skyhawks. Weber responded with a power kill to the back row to keep the Chiefs alive. However, a moment later Tichler finished off a 25-22 win for the Skyhawks with a kill from the middle of the net.

Weber finished with 14 kills for Waubonsee. Colon added 12 kills and recorded 13 digs, while Marziani-Radomski tallied 22 digs and Graf booked six aces and 12 digs. Waubonsee is the host site for this year's three-day tournament consisting of junior college teams from northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin. Tomorrow is the final day of competition in the Chiefs' Field House and Erickson Hall Gymnasium. For more information, go on-line at www.GoChiefs.com Waubonsee is set to play again tomorrow, Sunday, September 25 against Black hawk College starting at 9:00 a.m. and Rock Valley College in the final match of the tournament at 3:00 p.m.