Naperville North varsity girls volleyball beat Dupage Valley Conference rivals Neuqua Valley in a close game this Tuesday.

The Huskies (8-2) defeated the Wildcats (6-8) after three tight sets.

The Huskies consistently set up their hitters, though Neuqua Valley’s skilled backrow made it hard for North to score off of these hits. North hustled at every point and were loud on and off the court. They brought energy to the entire game, despite losing their second set. Senior captain Ashley Kushner attributed the win to their grit. 

“I’m very happy with how we played tonight. Neuqua is a very good team and they played really hard and scrappy but we came back. It was a long match but we stayed consistent through the end,” Kushner said.

When the Huskies were stuck receiving towards the end of the third set, senior Gabby Schlecht hit a cross court shot that bounced off of Neuqua’s block and went out of bounds. This gave the Huskies the momentum they needed to secure their lead and win the game.   

While working on the goals that they’ve set for themselves, the Huskies have also been improving their team dynamic. Junior Captain Paige Lauterwasser commented on the team’s disposition.

“Overall, I’m really happy with our team dynamic. We lost a lot of seniors last year so just to add a lot of new players for all grade levels was something I was a little nervous about, how that would all blend together,” Lauterwasser said. “We all love hanging out and joking around.”

Head Coach Jennifer Urban was happy with the team’s performance towards the end of the game, but still thinks the team needs to improve their handling and recovery when out of position.

“I think we are constantly working on our ball control and bettering ourselves when we are out of system,” Urban said.

The Huskies will continue their season on Thursday Sep. 23 against the Dekalb Barbs.