Hartmann, Batavia volleyball sweep Wheaton Academy for 6th win of season
By KEVIN DRULEY - kdruley@shawmedia.com
 |
| Batavia's Mary Nilles sets the ball during their win over Wheaton Academy Wednesday at Batavia. (Photo by Sandy Bressner - sbressner@kcchronicle.com) |
| Buy Kane County Chronicle Photos » |
Sophomore outside hitter Jess Hartmann thrives on them, coming alive when it looks like the Bulldogs need a jolt.
“The strength of my game is that I get really determined,” Hartmann says. “After we start losing even more, I just want to put the ball down on the court.”
On second thought, why not simply tell Hartmann the Bulldogs are trailing? Could be a lot safer.
Batavia encountered little adversity against Wheaton Academy in Wednesday’s 25-8, 25-20 non-conference sweep, as an even-keeled Hartmann still managed a team-best five kills.
Junior Kristen Koncelik followed with four, watching as the Warriors (1-1) succumbed to a slow start that was rooted off the court.
Batavia (6-2) opened a match with a one-point edge for the second time in four days. On Saturday, a Plainfield North tournament opponent turned in an incorrect lineup. On Wednesday, a Warriors player brought the wrong uniform and had to use a jersey that did not match the listing on the roster.
Wheaton Academy seized an 11-9 lead midway through Game 2 only when junior outside hitter Bianca Cifaldi used the Hartmann syndrome to key a surge.
“I didn’t think I had so much frustration in me, but I wanted my team to do well because I know what we’re capable of,” said Cifaldi, who smacked a match-high nine kills. “I wanted them to show it, because the first game was not how we play.”
The Bulldogs felt comfortable with their own performance after ironing out a handful of focal points from this week’s practices.
Coach Lori Trippi-Payne stressed more focus on the service line, so Meghan Fabian (Game 1) and Mary Nilles (Game 2) captained separate lengthy runs to take control.
Trippi-Payne continued exploring the art of balanced hitting, so the front line – namely Hartmann – incorporated off-speed strikes when they faced the Warriors’ block.
“Jess is starting to really develop into the hitter that we always knew she could be. She’s learning how to find the holes and make some shots,” Trippi-Payne said. “We’re teaching our kids how to make shots, because they tend to still get blocked quite a bit. We’re trying to alleviate that.”
Nilles collected four digs and 12 assists while distributing the ball evenly to the Bulldogs’ attack.
Batavia’s rotation includes underclassmen Hartmann and classmate Heather Meyer, which surely served noticed to the youngsters in attendance on Rotolo Middle School Night. It wasn’t too long ago when Hartmann aspired to the high school scene.
“I looked up to the varsity players like no other,” she said, “so it just feels great to be here right now.”
She stayed no longer than two games against the Warriors after the Bulldogs’ recovery from a late charge.
Wheaton Academy rallied from a 21-12 hole to within 22-20 but would come no closer. A would-be Cifaldi kill sailed just out of bounds to end the match.
“We’ve been in tough situations before,” Fabian said, “so we knew to stay positive and keep fighting.”
For one Bulldog, anyway, that’s the preferred MO.
No comments:
Post a Comment