Blackhawks find their groove in second game

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AURORA -- Somewhere in the second game, a light went on. West Aurora head coach Jen Towers has been waiting for that light all season.

Down one game and trailing 6-3 in the second, the Blackhawks hit their stride and rallied to defeat Wheaton North 20-25, 25-19, 25-12 in a DuPage Valley Conference match.

"We finally got everything put together," said Towers, who noted that her team played well in two conference games last week. "It was fun for the guys."

West (2-15 overall, 1-6 conference) had no blocking game in the opener, and the Falcons took advantage. Senior middle hitter Keegan Ovitt dominated at times, recording a block and four kills, including the game-winner.

"They started getting touches and getting their timing down better, and that's a huge key for boys volleyball," said Towers of her squad's presence at the net and ability to neutralize Ovitt.

When Jim McGill (seven blocks) scored on a block to narrow the North lead to 3-2 in the second game, it set a tone. McGill, Kyle Pilmer, Enrique Figueroa and Vinni Soto would each register points on blocks in the game. West Aurora broke away from a 16-16 tie, with Soto slipping in a pair of dinks and Mason Walgrave a kill (after a great save by Figueroa).

By Game 3, the Falcons (7-13 overall, 0-7 in the DVC) became rattled and had seven errors as West raced off to a 9-2 lead. Then the Blackhawks power game really came alive.

Walgrave had three kills and McGill a pair, as West Aurora held off a mini-rally by Wheaton North and won going away.

Walgrave led the Blackhawks with six kills, followed by Soto and Adam Williams with five each. Soto solidified what had been a shaky passing game early in the match and finished with 23 assists. Libero Michael Her was steady on the back line with 20 digs.

"Adam was on fire tonight at the net. And Enrique did a great job on the back row and connecting on some hits," said Towers.

All phases of the game came together against the Falcons, and Towers hopes it is the beginning of a trend.

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