Belvidere North beats arch rival to take control of NIC-10 volleyball race
Hononegah ended Belvidere North’s six-year NIC-10 volleyball title streak last year, but North probably took it back Tuesday. The Blue Thunder beat visiting Hononegah 25-16, 25-18 to complete a season sweep and open up a two-game conference lead.
“We’re proving ourselves after last year,” said senior outside hitter Bree Messenger, who led the Blue Thunder (16-2, 11-0 NIC-10) with eight kills. “We’re making the girls before us proud, getting the title back.”
For now, anyway. Hononegah (12-5, 9-2) doesn’t plan to go away.
“Just when you think someone is going to have a down year, everyone reloads,” Hononegah coach Kaylee Libby said of the rivalry. “Watching our freshman and sophomore levels play, they went into deep sets. They beat us both times at home. We beat them both times here at the lower levels. I think the rivalry is here to stay.
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And just when Hononegah started to make runs at North on Tuesday, the Blue Thunder answered with a big run of their own. Usually sparked by the girl at the service line.
North scored seven points in a row in the first set to go ahead 7-3. That streak included three aces by libero Samantha Matzl. Then, after Hononegah had pulled to within 17-16, North scored the last eight points to close out the set. Three of those were aces by Messenger.
“They served super aggressive,” Hononegah’s Libby said. “Our passing was not where we wanted it to be tonight. They did a really good job of getting us out of system and frustrating us.”
North finished with 13 aces, including four each by Messenger and Matzl.
“In practice, we focus on getting those tough, aggressive serves,” Matzl said. “It’s really the only thing you can control solely by yourself. Putting a good ball over the net feels good.”
Messenger served out the last seven points of the first set. She also served the last nine points of the second set as North scored the final 10 points after being down 15 to 16.
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“Our serves were a big difference maker,” North coach Amanda (Carlson) Hicks said. “It allowed us to take their middles out of the equation in serve-receive. Their middles are really good and they are tall and athletic. We can’t hang if they are in system. Our servers did a really good job of keeping them at bay and not letting them get involved.”
North now has a clear path toward another conference title.
“It shows how this team comes back,” said senior Oliva Tremud, who had five kills. “Whether we lose or we win, we always come together. Especially with all the pressure on. This was a crazy amount of pressure, but we’re good under it.”
NIC-10 volleyball standings
Belvidere North 11-0
Hononegah 9-2
Boylan 7-4
Belvidere 6-4
Harlem 5-5
Auburn 5-5
Guilford 3-4
Jefferson 1-7
East 1-9
Freeport 0-8
Contact: mtrowbridge@rrstar.com, @matttrowbridge or 815-987-1383. Matt Trowbridge has covered sports for the Rockford Register Star for over 30 years, after previous stints in North Dakota, Delaware, Vermont and Iowa City.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Belvidere North closes in on another NIC-10 volleyball title
