It is finally the beginning of the girls’ varsity volleyball team’s journey to state. Oct. 28 marked the first game of regionals for the girls, as they faced Chicago Hancock. The team came out strong and defeated Hancock in two sets.
As far as preparation for the game, head coach Madisen Babich reveals that their practice prior to the game was fun and relieved the pressure.
“For today’s game, we kind of went into yesterday’s practice with the mindset that this is an expectation: We should not lose. Talking or thinking that way is not even an option for us being the No. 3 seed coming in. So yesterday was like making sure all 19 of our players feel like, hey, you are a part of this, whether you get zero minutes on the court, whether you get to play four points, whether you get to play the whole match,” Babich said.
That mentality shortly became a reality.
The girls started off the game by winning the first point, even with Hancock serving. Libero Keegan O’Keefe received the serve, passing it to setter Niya Mincheva, who assisted Claire Cushing with the final kill.
Having the ability to serve is what gave the Mustangs the upper hand. The girls had been previously working on serving aggressively, as Babich had mentioned earlier in the season. Their hard-hitting serves forced the Eagles into an out of system scenario multiple times, allowing DGS to score more points.
Right side Ciara Steward served three times, scoring on every one. This required Hancock to call the first time out. The score was 10-3, with the Mustangs winning.
After the timeout, the Eagles were able to score twice. Middle hitter Roselyn Padilla earned their first point by tipping the ball over, preventing the Mustangs from adjusting in time. The second point was attained by outside hitter Andrea Orellana hitting the ball out of bounds, but was last touched by the Mustangs.
However, the girls responded quickly with defensive specialist Leah Blaylock serving the team into a seven-point run. This run was achieved by the girls’ quick thinking and calmness even when out of system. Outside hitter Lauren Curran obtained the seventh point with her kill.
The Mustangs won the first set with Ashlan Waitz playing a key role with her three consistent, successful serves. Reinforcing her aggressive serves, Cushing tipped it over to gain a crucial point. Mincheva confused the opponents by setting it over to attain another point.
The second set then began with Hancock securing the first point. Middle hitter Jennifer Curran was quick to respond, spiking the ball on Hancock’s second serve and attaining their first point.
This momentum carried over, promoting outside hitter Jayda Dixon to complete four successful serves, one being an ace.
However, even with this consistency, the game started to get close when the Mustangs gave up some vital points to the Eagles. The girls would win a point and lose a point in a sort of pattern, making the score 8-6.
Luckily communication improved and defensive specialist Sydney Dalton served successfully three times, one of which was an ace. The score was now 12-6, and a timeout was called by Hancock. Even after the timeout, DGS remained consistent scoring three more points, with the last point being a save by O’Keefe.
Plays such as this require focus and communication. Mincheva highlights the importance of talking on the court during out of system plays.
“That’s where communication plays a role, we talk to each other and clear the air with who’s getting what ball, because there are six of us on the court and it gets confusing sometimes,” Mincheva said.
This consistent serving is seen again in Mincheva as she goes on to serve triumphantly five times, three of which were aces. Her forceful serves made the score 22-8.
Shortly after, her teammate Jenna Portell received the serve, passing it to Mincheva who set up Dixon for the kill. This play earned them the match point and the game win.
Advancing to their second regional game requires more preparation. Babich reveals that they have already studied film and will implement the skills needed to play St. Ignatius.
“Overall, my hitters know that they need to work harder on transitioning and becoming available for the set, and then making sure we’re winning that serve and pass game,” Babich said.
Another aspect that they need to maintain to succeed is their energy, as Dixon shared.
“We just have to keep our energy high for the next game because they’re going to require super high energy to succeed and also keep up the consistency and play hard on every point,” Dixon said.
Their final regional game is on Thursday, Oct. 30, at Downers Grove South High School. The game starts at 6 p.m., so come out and support them as they attempt to survive and advance.