Bucs Stopped as Season Ends

By Chris Johnson, REPORTER

 The Fall Sports Season came to a close for the Belvidere Lady Bucs on Monday, Oct. 24, as they fell in the opening round of the IHSA Girls’ Class 3A Volleyball Regional to Freeport. The Lady Pretzels moved on to face two-seed Genoa-Kingston in the Belvidere Regional Semi-Final. As the Tournament began, Freeport was issued the eight-seed. As determined by the IHSA Selection Committee, Freeport had a better year on the court, warranting the higher-favorability rating. They were picked to win. The Lady Pretzels won the opening match courtesy of a pounding serve and control at the net. The final score of 25-14 led to a fired-up start to the second game. Throughout game two, runs were occurring. Shots just out of reach allowed the game to stay a little closer as the eight and nine seed battled. With time winding down on the evening, Freeport crossed the 20-point mark. The climb continued. The Lady Pretzels took the match and moved to the second round with the 25-19 win. The playoffs were over for Belvidere, but at least they got there.

Many volleyball Coaches have expressed their support as to how things are handled by the IHSA when it comes to the post-season. The volleyball playoffs revolve around inclusion. In the IHSA State Volleyball Championship Tournament, everyone gets to play and has the chance to shock anyone. A deep run is always possible. A team which has struggled during the regular season gets the second chance to make a difference at another venue. For the Belvidere Lady Bucs, that was the situation. A rough NIC-10 Season left them hovering in a position, games removed from first. The Class 3A State Tournament allowed the nine-seed to start over. They even got to play at home. The Lady Pretzels moved to the Belvidere Regional Semi-Final and fell to two-seed Genoa-Kingston 25-23 and 25-13. The Cogs were rolled by six-seed Rockford Boylan 25-22 and 25-16 in the Belvidere Regional Championship match. The Lady Titans moved on to face the Sterling Lady Golden Warriors in the Freeport Sectional Semi-Final on Tuesday, Nov. 1. Belvidere’s athletes turned their attention to the off-season and the weeks before Thanksgiving when activities return. On Monday, Nov. 14, the Basketball Season visits Belvidere as the Lady Bucs prepare to take the next step towards graduation.