Dwight powers past Royals

Hinckley-Big Rock's Erin Hellwig goes up for a block against Dwight.
(Donnell Collins/For the Beacon News)

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Hinckley-Big Rock had already set a school record for victories. But the Royals ran into a large roadblock in the final of the Class 1A Somonauk Sectional.

Dwight came into the title match with powerful middle hitter Carly Perschnick, and Hinckley-Big Rock had nobody to contend with the 6-foot-1-inch senior. After Cassie Kroner got several points in the opening set, the wheels fell off down the stretch for the Royals. Dwight advanced to the Pecatonica Super-Sectional with a convincing 25-12, 25-4 victory.

"Our blocks weren't there, and (the Trojans) kept running their offense to (Perschnick). There wasn't much we could do," Hinckley-Big Rock coach Don Watson said. "They made good passes to their setter (Amie Hogan), and she was able to get it to the big girl (Perschnick). She's good -- you can't take anything away from her."

Perschnick had 10 kills and five blocks to lead Dwight (32-7). She was particularly effective in the middle of the second set, when she registered a kill and three blocks on successive points.

"Carly played OK," Dwight coach Coreen Perschnick said. "She's been having shoulder issues, so she let up a little bit (on her power game). I stressed to her that she really needed to step up her blocking game. My assistant razzed her after the first game that she only had one block, so that got her going a bit."

The streak by Perschnick was part of a 23-0 run to end the match, after Hinckley-Big Rock jumped out to a 4-2 lead. Hogan (13 assists) served on the decisive run, during which everything the Royals tried seemed to come back at them.

"We kind of lost our confidence -- couldn't pass, couldn't serve-receive," Watson said.

The Royals (19-15-2) didn't help themselves in the first game with four early service errors. After falling behind 14-5, a pair of kills by Kroner and several Trojan errors allowed Hinckley-Big Rock to pull within 18-11. But that's as close as the Royals would get.

"We're fortunate to get this far," said Watson, whose team won its first sectional match before running into the Trojans. "I told the girls that they had an awesome season, even though we didn't play our best tonight."