RIVER FOREST, Ill. – After dropping the first two sets of the Northern Athletics Conference Tournament Championship match to the visiting Eagles of Edgewood College, the Stars came back to force sets four and five, but fell in extra points to give Edgewood (21-13, 9-3 NAC) the 2011 NAC Women’s Volleyball Tournament crown.  The loss ends the Stars’ 2011 campaign after a perfect 12-0 NAC regular season record and 28-6 performance overall.

Errors would doom the Stars in the first set, as they committed 13 mistakes that led to points for the Eagles. But Jess Guerrieri (Plainfield, Ill./North) was still able to hand out 11 assists in the 25-18 first set loss, as Claire Dezelski (Northville, Mich./Ladywood) and Jacy Lawrence (St. Louis, Mo./Villa Duchesne) knocked down four kills apiece.

Dezelski stayed hot in the second set, recording seven kills to lead the Stars, but it wouldn’t be enough as the Eagles came away with the 25-21 second set victory to go up two sets to none.

Set three looked bleak when the Stars found themselves down 14-18 to the visiting Eagles, but then Dominican came alive with back-to-back-to-back kills by Lawrence, Julie Schulenburg (Springfield, Ill.), and Kellie Van Voorhis (Union Mills, Ind./LaPorte) to close the gap 17-18.

Van Voorhis would keep the Stars close through the next eight points with three well-placed kills, but the lead would remain with the Eagles, 23-20. It was then Dezelski that came up big again for the Stars, as she hammered down the Stars’ 21^st point and started a five-point rally that closed out the set 25-23 and ruined the Eagles’ hopes of a sweep.

The dramatic third set win fueled the Stars for the fourth set, as they broke the 3-3 tie with a kill by Becca Fritz (Mount Carroll, Ill./West Carroll) and never looked back, taking the set 25-15. Fritz was a huge factor in the set, as she knocked down four kills, had a solo block, and handed out two service aces in the set. Lawrence also contributed in the set four victory, with four kills and a solo block that kept the Eagles’ attack in check.

In the fifth and deciding set, each team would enjoy three-point swings that started off the set with a 3-3 tie. With some great plays on both sides of the net that forced long rallies throughout the next 16 points, the set found its third tie 11 points apiece.

Again, Edgewood would break the tie, this time with back-to-back kills, but a Guerrieri-Lawrence connection would close the gap 12-13. The Eagles answered back with another kill to force match point, but the Stars weren’t done yet, as Lawrence went off for another kill and Van Voorhis and Guerrieri blocked an Eagle attack to force extra points and the 14-14 tie.

But the Stars’ comeback wouldn’t be enough, as Edgewood got the next two points to win the fifth set 16-14 and take home the tournament championship.
 
Liz Yakey (Sun Prairie, Wis.) had an impressive effort defensively, as she set a new season-high with 35 digs in the match to lead the Stars, while Guerrieri duplicated her season-best performance from the last meeting against the Eagles with 48 assists and 16 digs. Dezelski and Lawrence each recorded 18 kills in the match with 20 and 13 digs, respectively, while Van Voorhis contributed 12 and her fourth .500-plus performance in the last six matches.

“I am extremely proud of the girls for the way they fought back in this match, and for a great season overall,” says head coach Ryan Baumgartner.