Lockport outlasts Lincoln-Way West in Class 4A sectional semifinal

BOLINGBROOK — At the start of Tuesday's Class 4A Bolingbrook Sectional semifinal match, it didn't look like Lockport would have much trouble dispatching Lincoln-Way West . The Porters were nearly flawless in the opening set, taking down the Warriors 25-8.

But, as has been Lincoln-Way West's habit throughout the season, they did not give up. In fact, the Warriors rallied to win the second set 25-20 and force a third. The decisive set was close throughout, with neither team able to get ahead by more than three points until Lockport went ahead 16-12 on an ace by Jenna Kolosta.

West rallied again, this time tying the score at 21. Lockport went ahead 22-21 on a Warrior hitting error before back-to-back kills by Kolosta (10 kills) put the Porters ahead 24-21. West again battled back, getting kills from Caroline Smith and Elly Decker to pull to within 24-23, but a West hitting error ended it and Lockport advanced to Thursday's sectional title match against Oswego, which beat Joliet West 25-17, 25-19 in the other semifinal.

It is the second straight appearance in a sectional title match for Lockport after not having reached one since 2004 prior to last season.

"There were some nerves in the third set," Kolosta said. "But we play well when we are under stressful situations and there is pressure. I know I want the ball in those pressure situations.

"After we lost the second set, we knew we had to get back to basics. It was tense in the third set and we felt some pressure, but it felt good. We knew we had to serve receive better in the third set and just calm down and get into our rhythm. It all goes back to us all trusting each other. It feels great to be back in the sectional championship, and we want to win it this time."

If they can bottle what they had in the first set, they would be well on their way.

The Porters were remarkably efficient in the early going, recording eight kills and an ace in their first 11 points. Bridget Ferriter, who led the team with 13 kills, had four in that stretch as the Porters (33-5) raced out to an 11-2 lead and never looked back against their SouthWest Suburban Conference rival.

"This was the same as our conference match against them," Lockport coach Nick Mraz said. "We won the first set, they served tough in the second set and we broke down a little on serve receive, then we were able to win the third. We knew it would be a battle, but we have been in so many three-set matches this season that we were well-prepared for it."

Lincoln-Way West's serve was a big difference in the second set, and it started immediately. The Warriors (25-13) got three straight aces from Ellie Laack to jump out to a 4-0 lead. West added three more aces in the set and even those serves that didn't result in aces gave Lockport fits and got them out of system.

After Lockport was able to grab a 10-8 lead on kills by Ferriter and Hutsyn Timosciek, West went on a 7-1 spurt to take a 16-11 lead and they didn't trail the rest of the set. Caroline Smith had two kills and a block in the final four West points to seal the win. Smith finished with 12 kills and a block, while Decker had eight kills. Claire Murphy had 25 assists, while Smith, Laney Tuttle and Sophia Rozga all had eight digs.

"This match was us," West coach Kendall Villa said. "We always seemed to start slow. We have had plenty of matches where we just had to forget about the first set and this was another one. I am so proud of the way the girls battled back. They left it all on the court.

"We were mismatched in the middle, and give credit to Lockport for taking advantage of that. I just feel so lucky to have coached such a good group of girls. Not just good volleyball players, but good people. They have good GPAs, they love each other both on and off the court. They are going to do well in life, which is the most important thing."