Niles West rallies to beat rival Niles North

Niles West def. Niles North 20-25, 25-20, 25-17

THE SKINNY: Niles West (5-4) earned a measure of revenge against host Niles North (6-2) on Wednesday in Skokie with its thrilling, three-set victory. The Vikings beat the Wolves 25-15, 25-21 at New Trier’s tournament Saturday.

TURNING POINT: Up 15-14 in the third set, senior Olivia Rusek, a 5-foot-11 outside hitter, produced three consecutive kills to start a 4-0 run that led the Wolves to the win.

THE STAR: Rusek, who has verbally committed to Miami (Ohio), finished with 19 kills, 12 digs and three blocks.

BY THE NUMBERS: Niles West sophomore Dominique Krason followed Rusek with eight kills, and freshman setter Eleni Balourdos had 26 assists. For Niles North, senior Taylor Louis had 10 kills, seven digs and three blocks. Junior Amanda Green contributed eight kills in the loss.

QUOTABLE: “This is a big, big win for us,” Niles West coach Stacy Metoyer said. “We executed as good as we have this year. That was the difference.”