It was “indescribable,” but it was sure good for the Joliet West girls’ volleyball team.

After getting beaten in the first set, the Tigers regrouped and rallied for a 14-25, 25-22, 25-16 win Wednesday evening over host Lockport in a battle between local powers ranked in the top five in the most recent Class 4A poll.

While the assignments for the postseason aren’t out yet, Joliet West will host a sectional. So if the Porters are also in the sectional – which has happened for numerous years – this matchup could decide which team gets the top seed.

“It was indescribable what the shift was,” Joliet West senior right side hitter/setter Lina Govoni said. “It was a momentum issue. We had to turn it all around. In the second and third sets, we knew we were going to win. We just had to put up our block and terminate the ball.”

The Tigers (18-3), No. 4 in the Illinois Prep Volleyball Class 4A state rankings, got aggressive in all facets.

“Lockport was very clean, and their server did a great job in the first set,” Joliet West coach Chris Lincoln said. “But we started to serve aggressively, and we forced them to make mistakes. If we stay true to our serve, we can make even very good teams make mistakes.”

Trailing 11-9 in the second set, Joliet West scored three straight points to take its first lead at 12-11 on a kill by sophomore outside hitter Na’Riah Autman (six kills). But the Porters (14-3), ranked No. 5 in 4A, came back with a pair of points to regain the lead.

Although there were ties at 13, 15, 18 and 19, it looked as if that might have been the Tigers’ only lead. Thanks to a plethora of Porters errors, it wasn’t.

Lockport made four straight bad hits, and the Tigers took a 23-20 advantage. A kill by junior right side hitter Hutsyn Timosciek – who had a career-high 16 kills and added three aces – brought the Porters within 23-22, but a tip kill and an ace from Govoni (nine kills, eight assists) polished off the second set. 

Sophomore outside hitter Lexi Grevengoed (10 kills, 11 digs), senior middle hitter Mady Gant (five kills, two blocks), and senior libero Eden Eyassu (nine digs) also contributed for the Tigers.  So did junior setter Julia Adams (23 assists, three aces), who opened the third set with a pair of aces. 

“It was great,” Adams said of the start to the third set. “We had to gain our momentum and play well as a team. Between sets, the coaches gave us advice, and we utilized it. 

“This was great and gave us a lot of confidence, especially in how we can play as a team. We know, no matter what, that we can lean on each other and talk it over.”

A kill from senior outside hitter Bridget Ferriter (12 kills, 10 digs) made it 3-1. Then the Tigers went on a 7-0 blitz, as Govoni garnered a trio of kills, Grevengoed served an ace, and Autman and junior middle hitter Penny Wagner added kills for a 10-1 lead.

Lockport used a 5-0 spurt to close within 17-12, but never got closer than five the rest of the way. A block by Gant ended it.

Junior setter Natalie Bochantin, who is nearing 1,000 career assists, added 37 to her total. She also had 11 digs and registered Lockport’s only block of the match. Junior outside hitter Malia Cole (six kills), junior libero Emma Consigny (12 digs), and senior middle blocker Sara McGraw (three kills) also contributed for the Porters.

“We have to finish that second set,” Lockport coach Nick Mraz said. “We came out with a whimper and were sloppy in the third set. We played really clean in the first set, but we knew Joliet West would wake up. We didn’t play clean to finish.”

The first set was all Porters as they scored the first two points and had leads of 7-2, 15-7, and eventually 21-9. Ferriter and Timosciek each had five kills in the opener.

“In the first set we had so much energy,” Timosciek said, “but in the third set we got down 10-1, and we tried to do too much without doing what we’re supposed to do.”