Resilience is the Name of the Game
After a slower start to the season than they’d hoped for, the Lady Norsemen ended up 1-2 after the first week, falling to Aurora Christian and Lisle, but gaining momentum by the end in the win over Dwight.
The following week, the girls fell again to Rosary but managed to overcome their first conference match later that same week against Leland-Earlville, that win taking them on to also defeat other LTC conference members Hinckley Big-Rock, Hiawatha, Lamoille, Indian Creek, and Paw Paw in the weeks to follow. During this time, the Lady Norsemen also won their non-conference match-up with Ottawa Marquette.
The ladies headed to Mount Pulaski on the weekend of September 17 and then IMSA the first few days in October. They placed a solid second at IMSA after an avenging win over ACS to get to the championship.
The week after, the Lady Norsemen completely devoted their energy to the Little Ten Conference tournament, easily whipping through opponents like Serena and Leland-Earlville to go toe-to-toe with Somonauk, the other undefeated champion in conference play.
Battling for the first time in the season, the Lady Norsemen were thrown off guard from the very beginning, dropping behind Somonauk to a 0-9 fault at the start of set one. The Bobcats ended up controlling the rest of the match and taking home the Little Ten Conference Tournament Championship, the title going to someone other than Newark for the first time since 2009, breaking the Lady Norsemen’s undefeated 82 conference winning game streak.
Bruised from their loss, the ladies brushed it off, or at least attempted to, in time for their match at Harvest Christian on October 11. They lost the non-conference match-up after a few serving streaks by the Lady Lions.
However, the Lady Norsemen had other goals that week, with their regular season conference game at Somonauk their main goal. They were seeking revenge from the week prior, and receive revenge they did. Newark ladies came into Somonauk October 13, their energy high and minds set on claiming the regular season champion title.
In the first set, Newark came back from a 17-9 deficit, their resilience noted as they finished that set with a win, setting even more momentum in their favor as they started set two on a 10-1 serving run. Needless to say, the Lady Norsemen reclaimed their glory and won over Somonauk, taking first place in conference for their undefeated regular season.
Nearing the end of the season, the ladies celebrated their Senior Night, seniors Emma Nelson and Jasmine Mitchell enjoying their final home game playing volleyball in that white uniform on that floor. The Titans of IMSA dared to enter the arena with them, losing in two quick sets to allow the team to enjoy the traditional senior night cake together. The very next night, Newark finished off their conference games, defeating Serena for the third time this season.
By Jasmine Mitchell
