The Joliet Junior College volleyball team earned a split in its home opener as the Wolves welcomed Madison and Triton to the JJC Events Center on Friday.

In the first match, the Wolves (7-10) fell, 3-0 (14-25; 24-26; 19-25), to Madison. Aubrey Phillips recorded 10 kills in the loss while Haylee Dunne finished with 22 assists. 

"First set was not good but the second and third were much better," Wolves coach Tom Welsh said. "I liked our energy and our effort. We just have to figure out why we keep going up and down and up and down, and not just stay at a steady pace."

The first set saw the Wolves fall behind early and fight to climb back. The next two sets saw the Wolves start hot but Madison was able to catch back up and will themselves to the victory. 

Welsh said figuring out how to maintain the pace will involve getting his team into situations that make them uncomfortable.

"I think they get a little too comfortable when they get a lead and they let teams get past," he said. "We have a tendency of saying, 'Oh, we'll get the next one,' and then we don't get the next one. So, I think we have to keep putting them in situations where they have leads, they get taken away and they have to bounce back. A lot of it comes with just repetition and experience."

JJC played the first game of the tri-match against Madison, and then the two visiting teams faced eachother in the middle match before the Wolves ended the night against Triton. They won that match, 3-1 (16-25; 25-18; 25-16; 25-20), after dropping the first set but winning the next three.

Lily Broderick finished with 18 digs while Dunne added another 17 assists to her tally for the night.

"We have to stop making excuses for ourselves and why we keep losing," Welsh said during the break. "When we are down, it's because of a lack of execution." 

The Wolves don't get much time to rest, as they are on the road Saturday for another tri-match against Bryant & Stratton and Rock Valley.