Girls volleyball
Naperville North came into the season projected as one the Chicago-area’s better squads.
But after a whirlwind three days in which it knocked off three ranked teams, the Huskies showed they’re not only good but among the region’s elite.
Naperville North (14-1) topped previously unbeaten Wheaton Warrenville South (14-1) in three games Saturday to complete a five-game tournament sweep at the 15-team DuPage Area Girls Volleyball Invitational at Wheaton North.
“Our team played real consistent and [the win] boosted our confidence,” said senior outside Colleen Ward, who earned all-tournament honors along with teammate Christine Wu. “[The Tigers] hadn’t lost any games yet and they were confident that they were going to beat us, so we tried to get as many runs as we could.”
The Huskies beat the Tigers 21-25, 25-16, 25-21 in the finale. Sandburg took third as it outlasted Downers Grove South in an exhausting 25-20, 35-37, 25-17 clash.
The Naperville North victory comes in the wake of Thursday’s three-game DuPage Valley triumph over Naperville Central and a Friday pool-play sweep over Downers Grove North.
The Huskies have now won 14 straight matches since a season-opening loss to Neuqua Valley. The Huskies and Wheaton Warrenville South will meet again in two weeks, this time in a conference match.
— Jack McCarthy
Girls tennis
Last year’s state runner-up Deerfield breezed through Prospect’s Power 8 Invite Saturday, winning all four doubles flights to eclipse second-place Buffalo Grove 45-38. Deerfield’s Cali Gustafson, a top-eight doubles finisher at state last year, paired with Julia Fellerhoff to beat Naperville North’s Stacey Hitchcock and Savita Joglekar 6-1, 6-2 in first doubles. In first singles, Buffalo Grove’s Nell Boyd topped Crystal Lake Central’s Nelle Youel 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 for first place. Naperville North finished third in the eight-team competition with 34 points.
In other action, Prairie Ridge defeated Downers Grove South 3-2 for the championship of the eight-team Hersey Invite. Jacobs won the Sara Jackson-Elk Grove Invitational with 30 points, 16 points better than Maine West.
Cross country
Naperville North, led by Kyle Gibson’s sixth-place finish, won the boys team title in the Richard Spring Invitational in Peoria. Kevin Havel of Hersey (third place) was the area’s top finisher.
Elaine Kuckertz’s sixth-place finish led Hinsdale Central to the girls team title. Defending state champ Caitlin Comfort of Peoria Notre Dame beat Sandburg’s Kristin Sutherland by four seconds for the individual title.
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*On the Internet: For all of the day’s reported scores and highlights, go to chicagosports.com/prepsplus
*To report scores: E-mail prepsplus@tribune.com; call (312) 222-3473; or fax (312) 282-9392
