Joelle Pye-Blacknard and Karolina Bilvinaite sealed a wild first set with a block at the net on Tuesday, Sept. 29. Naperville North girls volleyball swept Waubonsie Valley 29-27, 25-18 to stay unbeaten in DuPage Valley Conference play.

The road win at Waubonsie Valley High School (2590 Ogden Ave., Aurora) pushed the Huskies to 3-0 in DVC after earlier victories over Naperville Central and Metea Valley. Waubonsie dropped to 0-3 in conference play, as first reported by NCTV17.

The Warriors made North earn it in the opener. Waubonsie jumped to a 5-1 lead and still led 19-16 late in the set. North chipped away, and senior setter Grace Anderson ripped an ace to tie it at 24-24.

Waubonsie's Annabelle Black answered with a block to retake the lead. Pye-Blacknard and Bilvinaite ended the set with a block of their own at 29-27.

North controlled the second set from the opening serve, building a 6-2 lead and stretching it to 13-6 at mid-set. Waubonsie clawed back to 22-18, but Anderson found Lucy Billington for a tap that slowed the rally. North closed it out 25-18.

Pye-Blacknard, a senior captain and Lipscomb University recruit, earned All-DVC honors last season alongside Anderson. Jocelyn Jamrosz, Bilvinaite, Billington and Mina Cairns also contributed for North. For Waubonsie, Anna Axelsen, Addilyn Candrian, Ava Edozien and Nithya Basireddy were among the Warriors' top performers.

Coach Nate Bornancin described his squad in an August Chicago Tribune preseason preview as a team that "aren't the biggest team but are probably one of the oldest," with five returning starters including three who have at least three years of varsity experience. That depth showed Wednesday.

North faces its stiffest early-season test Thursday, Oct. 1, when the Huskies travel to Neuqua Valley High School (2360 95th St.) for a DVC match. The Wildcats were 2-0 in conference play as of Sept. 25. Varsity is set for 5:30 p.m., according to Naperville North Athletics on X.