RICHMOND – For Johnsburg senior Abby Wemple, Thursday wasn’t just a match against rival Richmond-Burton. Wemple and the rest of the Skyhawks' senior class had yet to beat the Rockets in their varsity careers, which added another level of importance.
“I’ve been on varsity since sophomore year, and we have lost to them every time I’ve played them,” Wemple said. “Richmond is a very tough team at home, and their crowd provides a lot of energy, which they really feed off.”
Wemple’s service game helped open the first set, and Johnsburg stormed back from a second-set deficit as the Skyhawks remained undefeated in Kishwaukee River Conference play with a 25-17, 25-23 victory at R-B.
ARBER DOMINANT IN FIRST SET
The first set was pretty even with each team exchanging points and taking advantage of some mistakes by their opponent. Johnsburg (15-3, 5-0 KRC) started to increase its lead after five straight service points by Wemple, and the team fed off Alex Arber's play at the net.
Arber had four kills during the turning point of the set.
“Last year, we beat them in the opening set and then lost the last two, so we didn’t want that to happen again,” Arber said. “It’s tough playing here. Their student section is really loud and always cheering, and they really seem to feed off that energy. This was a huge win for us.”
BIG COMEBACK
R-B (6-8, 2-3) came out like a different team in the second set. The Rockets jumped out to an 8-2 lead and were two points away from forcing the third set. Johnsburg tightened up and scored the last seven points to take the match. Still, Rockets coach Kaycee Kaywood was impressed by the effort her team gave.
“We are working on a new offense that we are using for just the second time this season, and we seem to be a lot more cohesive as a unit,” Kaywood said. “Johnsburg is a really good team, and I’m happy with how we fought.”
The Rockets were led by Kayla Malec with five kills. Bailey Dean had 10 assists, and Bella Cecchi finished with 10 digs.
WIN NO. 15
Johnsburg equaled its 2016 win total with the victory and remained undefeated in conference play. The Skyhawks were led by Arber with 13 kills and Adisyn Illg, who finished with eight digs and 20 assists.
“We showed tonight that we can come back when our backs are against the wall,” Skyhawks coach Jackie Barnette said. “All season we have been up to the challenge in every match, and that showed again today against our rival. Our service game has been good all season and was one of the keys for us tonight.”
STAR OF THE MATCH
Alex Arber
Johnsburg, sr., OH
Arber dominated the net all match and finished with 13 kills, including four during a stretch in the first set.
The Number
7: Consecutive points by Johnsburg to end the second set and win the match after trailing Richmond-Burton, 23-18.
AND ANOTHER THING ...
Only minutes after winning a huge match against their rivals, instead of celebrating, the Skyhawks were looking ahead to another important conference match Tuesday against Burlington Central.
