JOLIET — Joliet has been among the elite Class B volleyball programs for several years, and that looks no different this season.
The J-Hawks enter this week’s District 4B tournament on a roll but will need to defeat familiar rival Huntley Project to claim a district title.
“I know what we need to work on. You know if you can play with them you’ll be competitive with anybody on the other side of the state,” head coach Colette Webber said.
Though talented, this year’s Joliet team is quite a bit younger than those in years past. Webber sees that in their play, which has been a rollercoaster at times this season, including a mid-season loss to the Red Devils.
“This group of girls is very altruistic, they’re very selfless. What I don’t think they are sometimes is mentally tough,” Webber said. “It’s good for them to see they have a lot to work on. They’ve kind of been winning all their games so far, and it’s easy to get into that feeling of ‘we’re great’ so hopefully it’s going to burn into their hearts a little bit.”
Fresh off missing the state tournament for the first time under Webber, the expectation of championship-level volleyball hasn’t changed.
“I think that they have watched good times for the last six years in Joliet,” Webber said. “Aside from last year, we went to state five years in a row, so it’s kind of an expectation from me for them to get there.”
“I think that over many years we’ve always had a pretty good team. I think that growing up watching everyone has really drove us to work hard every day,” said ChelSea DuBeau
The J-Hawks. will be in Red Lodge this weekend as they look to lock up a trip to the Southern B divisional tournament.
