No. 5 College of DuPage, behind the strength of middle hitter Josephine Becker and a supporting cast of teammates, earned a 3-1 record this past weekend at the Opener Weekend at Rock Valley.
 
COD earned a 3-0 win over Marian-Ancilla in the opener and followed with a 3-2 win over No. 11 Finger Lakes for an unbeaten Friday. The Chaps earned a five-set win over Rochester (Minn.) before a hard-fought 3-1 loss to No. 3 Owens.
 
Next up for the Chaps is a Tuesday night home contest against UW Whitewater-Rock County and a Thursday match at Kishwaukee.
 
Coach Tolis Koskinaris says
"We're in the picture toward a successful season. Josephine played very well all weekend long and proved her ability as one of the best players in NJCAA Division III. We were able to see that there is quite of bit of parity in D3 volleyball. We'll step outside of tourney play for this week, and then get ready for our Chap Invite, where we will see strong D3 programs. This past week, showed we have a competitive, high-energy group with a zero-quit attitude in our 5-set matches. It speaks about our character that we play hard. We need to re-focus a bit and get prepared for this week and next. Our staff has worked hard and our team realizes that we can rotate a lot of players. It's a testament to our depth.''
 
Chaps def. Marian-Ancilla 3-0 (25-19, 25-11, 25-16)
Kills: Josephine Becker 14, Mikayla Robinson 6, Skylar Huffman 5, Jillian Ross 4
Assists: Ava Diaz 22, Aylza Grubich 12
Service aces: Huffman 3, Christina Savaglio 3
Blocks (solo/assist): Alyssa Schillaci 1/1, Becker 1, Ella Petruczenko 1, Megan Daca 1
Digs: Francesca Brandoniso 7, Robinson 5
 
Chaps def. Finger Lakes 3-2 (25-14, 24-26, 17-25, 25-23, 15-6)
Kills: Becker 14, Ross 7, Huffman 5, Savaglio 4, Schillaci 4
Assists: Diaz 24, Grubich 13
Service aces: Francesca Brandoniso 4, Schillaci 3
Blocks: Becker 3 solos, 3 assist; Alexandra Hornbogen 2 assist, Ross 2 assist
Digs: Brandonisio 23, Diaz 11, Savaglio 10
 
Chaps def. Rochester 3-2 (25-9, 19-25, 25-19, 15-25, 15-11)
Kills: Becker 19, Ross 8, Alexandra Hornbogen 7, Huffman 5
Assists: Diaz 36
Service aces: Schillaci 6, Brandonisio 5, Diaz 4
Blocks: Becker (1-4), Schillaci (0-2), Ross (0-1), Diaz (0-1)
Digs: Brandonisio 19, Diaz 12.
 
Owens def. Chaps 3-1 (23-25, 21-25, 25-20, 23-25)
Kills: Becker 17, Ross 6, Savaglio 5, Daca 5
Assists: Diaz 32
Service aces: Grant 3, Camila Fundora 2, Schillaci 2, Brandonisio 2, Robinson 2
Blocks: Becker (0-3), Savaglio (0-1), Caytlin Johns (0-1), Alexandra Hornbogen (0-1), Petruczenko (0-1), Daca (0-1)
Digs: Brandonisio 21, Fundora 7, Diaz 6, Robinson 5, Schillaci 5