By Noah Poser

Moments after helping her team clinch the Sophomore Girls Volleyball Chicago Public League Championship, Young sophomore Gabrielle Greenbaum made a bold prediction.

“It’s really great to bring back another city title to Young,” Greenbaum said. “And varsity is about to do the same.”

She was right.

Just hours later, the Dolphins’ varsity squad defeated Lane 2-0 on Thursday, Oct. 23 at Little Village Lawndale High School to capture the Varsity Girls Volleyball CPL Championship, completing a program sweep and delivering Young its first varsity city title in three years.

The Dolphins (25-6) dominated en route to winning their fourth consecutive match in straight sets. After falling behind 11-8 lead midway through the first set, Young regrouped and rattled off four straight points to take a 12-11 lead over Lane (21-14). It was a lead the Dolphins would never relinquish as they closed out the set 25-21.

In the second set, Young surged ahead 23-12 lead before sealing the title with a 25-15 win.

The two teams had previously met in the regular season, with Young narrowly defeating Lane in three tightly-contested sets. This time, the Dolphins left no doubt.

Senior Jordyn McCoy, named Player of the Match, said the team knew what to expect this time around.

“We were better prepared for this match,” McCoy said. “Seeing them earlier in the season, we knew what they had and we knew we had gotten better since that moment. Our goal was to come out here and show them just how much better we’ve become.”

McCoy led the team with 15 assists, setting up juniors Delilah Roman (15 kills) and Claire Golden (five kills) to spearhead the Dolphins’ offensive attack.

Golden also anchored the defense with 13 digs and seven serve receptions.

Coach Jesse Martinez praised his players’ growth, especially Roman, who rebounded from a tough outing against Lane earlier in the season.

“One name that comes to mind right away is Delilah Roman,” Martinez said. “She struggled against Lane during that conference matchup at home, and I told her at the end of that night that it was okay. I told her ‘Tonight wasn’t your night, but we’re going to see them again, and you’re going to be a very important player in that match.’ And sure enough, she killed it tonight.”

In killing it on the court, Roman also slayed the hopes and dreams of the Champions, who were looking to become city champions for the first time in seven years.

Lane coach Norman Kwong said his team had their opportunities, but couldn’t match Young’s execution.

“They made fewer mistakes,” Kwong said. “We made a ton of mistakes, and my team is still young, so that’s going to happen. We graduated eight seniors last year, so we just have to learn from this. Our future is bright. We just have to continue to plug away and play hard and take this as a learning experience.”

Both teams now turn their focus to the State Regional Playoffs. Lane faced Maine West (9-22) on Tuesday, Oct. 28, while Young took on Morton (11-11) the same night.

“My last words to the team were ‘We’re not done,’” Martinez said. “This team deserves more. This team has what it takes to win a plaque and go deep in the state playoffs.”

Both teams swept their regional semifinal opponents, Lane defeating Maine West 25-15, 25-11 and the Dolphins winning 25-19, 25-21.

Young outlasts Jones in three-set battle for sophomore title

Before the varsity squad claimed its crown, Young and Jones faced off for the sophomore city championship in a hard-fought match.

Unlike the varsity sweep, this contest was a back-and-forth affair. Young took the first set 25-16, but Jones responded with a nail-biting 26-24 win in the second set to keep their title hopes alive.

In the decisive third set, Young dominated 25-12, sealing the championship with an ace.

“It’s just such a relief,” Young coach Zoriamin Rivera said. “It’s been a long time coming. We’ve come really close before, but after all the work we’ve been putting in, it’s nice to see it actually come through.”

The Dolphins were led by Greenbaum and freshman Kendall Silva, who elevated her play in the final set.

“I honestly just felt like I needed to get the ball down,” Silva said. “I really wanted to close out the game as quickly as possible, and that’s what we were able to do.”

As for post-match celebrations, the players had sweet treats in mind, while their coach had his eyes towards the tropics.

“I don’t know what the plans are, to be honest, but maybe some ice cream after,” Greenbaum said. “And then it’s going to be really great to show off the hardware when we go back to school on Monday.

“Or wait, Friday. Tomorrow is Friday, so we’ll be at school tomorrow.”

Rivera, however, had other ideas.

“I’ll be going on vacation to Hawaii,” he said. “So I will see you guys in two weeks.”

Photos by Lucy Loevner, Amundsen senior (IG: pics.fromlou)

Young vs. Lane (Varsity)

Sophomores (Jones vs. Young), including breast cancer survivors