(Sugar Grove, IL) – Waubonsee Community College's women's volleyball team closed out play in the Region 4 Crossover Tournament with a tough loss to Black Hawk College three games to one. The Chiefs (3-12), hosts of the two-day event featuring 13 junior colleges from across northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin, couldn't maintain a consistent attack against the Braves (5-13) or stop Shannon Kenneavy. Black Hawks' 6'0" outside hitter, who is in the top-50 nationally among all National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II players in kills, finished the match with 21 kills.

Black Hawk began game one with a service ace before Waubonsee answered. An ace by Claudia Johnson and a kill from the right side by Ily Hunt put the Chiefs in front 3-2 early on. A minute later a block by Black Hawk's Abigail Johnson tied the score at 5-all. The teams then alternated points for an extended period, with the score tied at every point on the way to a 19-all tally. A block gave Black Hawk a 21-19 lead before Waubonsee's Athena Westphal registered a kill. Again, they traded points until a block by Tauja Crump knotted the score once more at 22. A service error gave the Braves the lead again and a block set up game point for Black Hawk. A return error by Waubonsee a minute later gave the Braves a 25-23 victory. In all there were 20 ties with neither team taking more than a two-point lead at any time in the tightly contested battle.

Waubonsee then jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead in game two before Black Hawk rallied to pull in front 10-7. Following the trend of the first game the Chiefs came back to tie the score by booking the next three points. Moments later Ella Smykal served up an ace to tie the score at 12-all. Black Hawk held a two-point lead on two more occasions before Westphal recorded an ace to pull the Chiefs even at 18. The back-and-forth battle continued with the score tied at 21 a few minutes later. An ace by Brayden Buchholz gave Black Hawk the lead once more. However, Waubonsee responded as Makayla McNally smashed a powerful kill from the left side. With the score tied at 23-all, Smykal made a great diving dig to keep the ball alive and Westphal finished off the volley with a kill to set Waubonsee up with a potential game point at 24-23. A return error by the Braves then ended the game in favor of the Chiefs 25-23.

Game three the Braves grabbed an early 3-0 lead and a couple minutes later pulled in front 6-2, the first time either team had more than a three-point advantage all afternoon. A kill by Crump from the middle of the net and another by McNally got Waubonsee back within striking distance at 7-5. However, Black Hawk was able to maintain a minimal lead until Westphal recorded back-to-back kills to help the Chiefs pull even at 12. Again, a see-saw battle ensued as Hunt tied the game at 14 with a kill from the left side. But the Braves tallied the next three points prompting a timeout from Waubonsee head coach Steve Kish. The stoppage in play however did not stop Black Hawks' momentum as they pulled ahead by five points. Once more Waubonsee clawed within striking distance and Black Hawk again answered. Behind the play of Kenneavy the Braves surged ahead 23-17. A kill by Kenneavy then set up game point and a return error by the Chiefs gave Black Hawk a 25-17 win.

A perfectly placed return shot down the left sideline by McNally got Waubonsee going in the fourth game. The game was tied at 2-all when Kenneavy blasted another kill through the Chiefs' defense. Black Hawk then built a three-point lead and forced the Chiefs to play from behind just like they did in the previous game. A smash for a point by Crump and another well-placed return by her helped Waubonsee come back to take a 10-9 lead. Black Hawk head coach Matt Gropel called timeout, and his team responded after the break by scoring the next three points. A service error by Black Hawk and an ace by Smykal suddenly gave the Chiefs a 14-13 lead, but it was short lived. The Braves regained the lead and took an 19-15 advantage after back-to-back aces by Ayla Jenkins. An accidental ace on a serve by Kenneavy that rolled just over the top of the net pushed the lead to 22-16 for the Braves. A block by Taylor Greer-Ahmed and a kill by Hunt delayed the outcome for a moment as Waubonsee scored three straight points to make it 24-20. But Johnson finished off the game and the match with a kill as Black Hawk secured a three game to one victory. 

Westphal finished the match with 10 kills and 15 digs to lead Waubonsee. McNally booked 11 kills, Johnson registered 31 assists and a dozen digs, and Crump added eight kills and two solo blocks. Smykal chipped in with a dozen digs and two aces, while Madison Marziani-Radomski booked 20 digs and Joselyn Roche served up three aces. Waubonsee is in action again this coming Tuesday, September 24 when they host UW-Whitewater at Rock County for the first time ever beginning at 6:00 p.m. New to the NJCAA, UWW-Rock County is 0-14 thus far in their first season as a non-scholarship junior college program.