Young holds off Ag Science for city title

In its quest for a third consecutive Public League girls volleyball title, Young had to overcome some obstacles before it could bring home the trophy.

First, the title match was moved from Saturday to Sunday. Second, the Dolphins had to face an inspired Ag. Science team that was playing in its first city volleyball final in school history. But Danielle Schroeder and the Dolphins were able to overcome the adversity to win the match in three sets, 25-11, 16-25, 26-24 at UIC.

“We knew they were going to play hard in the second set, especially after the way they played in the first one,’’ Schroeder said. “They kind of came out and surprised us, but we were able to recover.’’

After the first two sets were blowouts, the third set turned out to be one that provided a lot of excitement. The teams combined for 16 ties in the set, with neither team holding more than a three-point lead.

Ag. Science had match point at 24-23 after Hanna Lee committed a controversial hitting error. However, the Cyclones weren’t able to convert, as Carly Trinley committed a hitting error of her own to tie the set at 24. A Hanna Lee kill, followed by a kill from Jessica Lee gave the Dolphins the title.

The Dolphins (22-8) got off to a hot start in the first set, scoring eight consecutive points after the Cyclones had scored the first point of the match. Schroeder was at the service line for seven of those points.

As dominant as the Dolphins were in the first set, the Cyclones (16-6) were just as powerful in the second. Ag. Science was able to take advantage of 12 Dolphin errors to easily win the set.

“Sometimes, it’s as if the team just expects to win,’’ said Young coach Jaime Walters. “It almost hurt us today. We can’t allow that to continue happening.’’

Schroeder had a match-high 15 kills, while Hanna Lee added nine for Young. Ag Science was led by Trinley with seven kills and Allison Nash with four.

“I want the ball at all times,’’ said Schroeder. “Whether it’s the set, the serve, no matter what. I want to be the one with the ball.’’

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