April 19, 2024
Sports

High school girls volleybal: York has off night, fall to Glenbard West in key conference match

By JASON ROSSI
York junior Alexandra Danciutiu dives for the ball Sept. 20 during a match against Glenbard West in Glen Ellyn. In a match between unbeaten teams in conference, the Dukes struggled in a three-game loss.

York junior Alexandra Danciutiu dives for the ball Sept. 20 during a match against Glenbard West in Glen Ellyn. In a match between unbeaten teams in conference, the Dukes struggled in a three-game loss. (David Toney)

GLEN ELLYN – In a match where little went right for York’s girls volleyball team, Sydney Bonthron said one thing in particular affected the Dukes in their match against Glenbard West.

“I think we just got really down on ourselves after they kept serving on us over and over again, and we just couldn’t get back into it,” Bonthron said.

Glenbard West used extended serving runs in the first and third games to hand York a 25-17, 23-25, 25-7 loss in a matchup between undefeated West Suburban Silver teams Sept. 20.

Roxy Stirb served 11 straight points for the Hilltoppers in the opening game, turning an 11-8 deficit into a 19-11 lead. Claire Wagner broke a 3-3 deadlock with 10 straight serves in the third game. For good measure, Nina Crawford served six consecutive points for a 24-6 West lead that all but buried the Dukes.

Yet the serve receive was hardly the only part of York’s game that was amiss.

“We just couldn’t pass the ball, couldn’t transition,” York head coach Patty Iverson said. “We basically – we didn’t get beat, we got to lose all by ourselves. It wasn’t a joy.

“Our game was off in so many ways I can’t even address all of them.”

The Dukes (14-4 overall, 2-1 WSS) showed glimpses of their potential in the second game.

Another Glenbard West service run had York looking at an 8-2 deficit before a Jessica Levy kill forced sideout. Alexandra Danciutiu then served the next six points, including an ace, for a 9-8 lead. Bonthron floored two kills during the stretch. When West tied the proceedings 23-23, Kristie Paus put down a kill before Rose served an ace.

The match was yet another three-game affair that seems to be commonplace when the Dukes and Hilltoppers meet. York won in three in the 2015 regular season before West won in three in a sectional championship match on its way to second place in the state.

Some of the Dukes’ struggles can be attributed to youth. Bonthron, Paus and Rose are the only seniors. Three sophomores are on varsity, including Levy, but Iverson wasn’t leaning on inexperience as an excuse for the poor play.

“We’re young. I have nine out of 12 new kids on varsity, but still, by this point you start to assume you’re going to be able to do certain things that are your foundation, and we didn’t do those things,” the coach said. “Not one of those three games did we do anything consistently, not even the second game.”

York doesn’t have time to lick its wounds. It faces a solid Nazareth team on the road Sept. 23 before welcoming Hinsdale Central for a WSS match Sept. 30.

“We just have to put a lot more effort and focus on our serve receive, and I think we’ll be good,” Bonthron said.