AURORA – The Aurora Central Catholic girls volleyball team came out on Thursday night looking to pull a senior night upset against Geneva, but the Vikings put a damper on that notion in a hurry.

Geneva's Nicole Schneider notched back-to-back aces to start the match, much to coach KC Johnsen's delight.

“Great way to start the night. We will take that any time we can get it,” said Johnsen, whose team went on to win, 25-18, 25-19.
 
Geneva was then able to build an 18-12 lead in the first game by spotting volleyballs along the edges of the court. After a timeout by ACC coach Jeanne Czipri, the Chargers converted four consecutive points.

The Vikings closed the set with a 25-19 win relying on the accuracy of sisters Jess and Kelsey Wicinski. Jess, a senior, dominated the net for Geneva (19-9), finishing with a team-high seven kills.

The Chargers kept the match competitive with strong offense of their own by senior Kelsey Talkington, who is working toward 200 career kills. With ACC down 15-10 in Game 2, Ally Kane served the Chargers back within striking distance with her 56th ace of the season during back-to-back point for ACC.

The Vikings, however, never trailed during the match, and it was Schneider who closed out the match from the service line. She said strategy played a key role in her serving.

“I saw that their passers were deep so I tried to hit it short and throughout the match I just gained confidence serving short," she said.

Serving short proved to be the cherry on top of the sundae for Geneva as the Vikings scooped Game 2 by a score of 25-19.

Czipri was happy with the performance, praising Geneva as a “balanced team."

Kelly Dalheim (15 digs) and Maddie Courter (five blocks) were also among the top contributors for Geneva, which will take on St. Charles East next Tuesday for the Upstate EIght Conference River title.