CARPENTERSVILLE -- Perseverance paid off for Dundee-Crown on Wednesday night.
The Chargers overcame a terrible start and rallied back from the brink of defeat to pull out a 19-25, 26-24, 25-12 win over visiting Streamwood in the season opener for both clubs.
The Chargers are counting heavily on the experience of senior Stephanie Thorson, who is their only returning starter. She came through in a big way with 13 kills and 3 aces.
"It's a little different than years past," said D-C coach Tracy Williams. "We don't have a lot of experience, so it's going to take some patience. We had way too many early mistakes, but the good thing is we showed a lot of character and we were able to pull it together."
D-C gave away the first game by committing 12 unforced errors. The Chargers made 12 more unforced errors in the second game, but managed to start turning things around late in Game 2. D-C briefly grabbed a one-point lead on three occasions, but still found itself facing match point down 24-23.
However, Thorson knocked down a kill to tie the score at 24. Then after an unforced error by the Sabres gave the Chargers a 25-24 lead, Thorson followed it up with another kill to even the match a game apiece.
"We were a little nervous at the start, and we were tipping a lot in that first game," said Thorson. "Once we started getting aggressive and went more on the attack, we really turned it around.
"I know we have a young team, so I have to lead by example. I tried to step it up and have everyone rally around my play."
Momentum carried over to Game 3 as the Chargers jumped to a 4-0 lead and never gave it up. A 7-0 run midway through Game 3 opened an 18-8 advantage for Dundee-Crown. Thorson had a pair of aces during the run. The Chargers' other outside hitter Kelsey Cook also had a big third game with four kills. She finished the match with a total of six.
Streamwood never recovered after dropping Game 2. Things unraveled in Game 3 for the Sabres when they committed 9 unforced errors.
"That's the way sports can go," said Streamwood coach Kevin Kwon. "You see it all the time, where a team loses the momentum and they can't get it back. That's what happened to us. Like a light switch that goes on and off."
Betsy Holman led Streamwood with 7 kills. Melissa Oehlerking added 6 kills. Adriana Salgado had 19 assists for the Sabres.
Katie Cutinello had 23 assists for Dundee-Crown.
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Photos: Chargers get by Streamwood