Inspired Sauk Valley volleyball wins postseason opener while coach Jay Howell recovers from heart attack

The night before the Sauk Valley Community College women’s volleyball team played Triton College in its postseason opener on Wednesday night, coach Jay Howell had a heart attack later in the evening after practice.Assistant Abby Cox, who is Howell’s daughter, said he is OK and recovering in the hospital. “It was really special for them to be able to go out and play and and win for him,” Cox said. “We were at practice yesterday and everything was fine.“He was at home with chest pains and my sister took him to the hospital last night and they found the blockage and were able to put a stent in. He was transferred from ICU to a regular room a little bit ago. So he’s recovering and all should be well.”The Skyhawks won 25-17, 25-13, 25-16 to sweep Triton in the NJCAA D2 Region 4 quarterfinal matchup. “Today was kind of a day of scrambling and getting everything together and figured out, because he’s the brains of the operation,” Cox said. “But it worked out well, we all worked together and g