Joliet West’s historic run ends against Libertyville in Class 4A state semifinals

Joliet West’s push for a state title came to an end with a 25-13, 25-20 loss to Libertyville in the Class 4A state semifinals on Friday night at Illinois State’s CEFCU Arena, but the Tigers made program history by reaching the state tournament for the first time.After a rough first set where Joliet West didn’t quite look like themselves, the Tigers showed more life in the second set but it wasn’t enough against the one-loss Wildcats.

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“They played an almost flawless game and made very few errors,” Joliet West coach Chris Lincoln said about Libertyville. “They got us out of system quite a bit, and I think that caused a little frustration for us. They also did a great job of integrating their back-row defense behind the block.”Junior Lexie Grevengoed led the Tigers with seven kills but, like her teammates, struggled to get past Libertyville’s formidable front line. “They’re a great blocking team and we knew that coming into this game,” Grevengoed said. “I think they just gave everything the