Joelle Pye-Blacknard and nine fellow seniors celebrated a DuPage Valley Conference (DVC) volleyball championship Tuesday, Oct. 20, as Naperville North swept visiting Neuqua Valley 25-19, 25-18 at home.
The win gave the Huskies a 23-11 overall record and an 8-1 conference mark, clinching the title in their final home match at Naperville North High School, 899 N. Mill St.
Pye-Blacknard, a senior outside hitter and Lipscomb University recruit, has led the Huskies statistically all season.
She tops the team with 235 kills and ranks second with 189 digs, adding 29 aces and 15 blocks, as first reported by the Chicago Tribune's Matt Le Cren.
The numbers are striking given what she played through last year. Pye-Blacknard suffered a sprained MCL just before her junior season and braced the knee rather than sit out, avoiding surgery.
She came back healthy.
"I just braced it up and pushed through," Pye-Blacknard told the Tribune. "It was definitely tough, but I wanted to play for my teammates, my best friends, the seniors last year."
Naperville North coach Nate Bornancin said Pye-Blacknard's passing and defense alone make her one of the best defensive outside hitters in the state, with her attack on top of that.
In the title-clinching match, senior outside hitter Emma Chang led all players with six kills and five digs. Senior setter Grace Anderson distributed 15 assists, and her twin sister, Kristen Anderson, added five kills.
Neuqua Valley (16-17, 5-5 DVC) played without Illinois-bound junior setter Tatum Kelly, who was out due to illness. Junior Alexandra Durkin led the Wildcats with four kills.
Pye-Blacknard finished the match with three kills, three digs and five service points. It was the first DVC volleyball title of her varsity career.
The Huskies enter IHSA postseason play with the conference championship in hand.
