Washington Defeats Joliet Catholic 25-21, 25-17 to Advance to Supersectional

Washington hosted Joliet Catholic on Thursday night for the Class 3A Washington Sectional volleyball championship. The home team won the match 25-21 and 25-17 to advance to Monday's La Salle-Peru Supersectional. This victory caps a 27-11 season for the Panthers, while the Angels conclude their year with a 22-16 record.

Washington's serving and defense proved decisive in the final sets. Coach Paloma Simundic noted that her team served strongly, forcing free balls and disrupting the Angels' offense. "I thought we served a very strong match which allowed us to force some free balls and keep them a little out of their offense," Simundic said. The Panthers scored 13 of the next 16 points in the second set to secure the title.

Joliet Catholic coach Eric Tripp acknowledged the difficulty of scoring against Washington's net defense. "Our serving and defense were really good tonight, but we really struggled offensively and that's a credit to the defense Washington had at the net," Tripp said. He noted that his hitters often lacked clear angles to attack the ball despite maintaining pressure.

Senior outside hitter Carly Dawson led Washington with 13 kills and two blocks. Junior middle hitter Josie O'Brien added eight kills, and Avery Rice recorded four. For Joliet Catholic, Maggie Tibbott led the team with seven kills. Katelyn Morris finished with five kills, and Ella Horn contributed four kills and two aces.

The opening set saw an early lead change that set the tone for the match. Joliet Catholic held an 18-16 advantage after a kill by Morris. Washington then reeled off eight straight points, including two aces from Blakely Hathcock and three kills from Dawson. A kill by Josie O'Brien closed out the first set for the hosts.

Tripp praised the growth of his program, noting that the team finished last season with seven wins and improved to 22 this year. "The program had seven wins last year and this year we finished with 22," Tripp said. He expressed confidence in the returning players for next season, stating that the team has athletes who want to return to the sectional final stage.

Tibbott described the team's approach as a commitment to fighting for every point. "Our mentality coming into and throughout this season was to leave everything on the court, fight for everything and just ball out," Tibbott said. She added that while Washington is a very good team, the Angels felt they were playing right with the Panthers at times but could not sustain long enough leads to take control of the match.