Batavia trumps Glenbard South

Batavia senior Stephanie Kinane claims she's “not that great” of a server.

Her coach says she's being way too modest.

“Kinane is a great server,” Bulldogs coach Lori Trippi-Payne said, “one of the best servers we've ever had.”

Kinane was on her game Thursday. Two long service-point runs by the Bulldogs libero did in Glenbard South 25-15, 25-13 in Glen Ellyn.

In the first set Kinane served seven straight points as part of an 11-1 run that turned a 9-8 lead into a commanding 20-9 advantage. She was just getting started. A block by Mary Nilles gave Kinane serve with Batavia (11-5) up 13-12 in the second set, and she proceeded to rattle off 11 straight points with a pair of aces.

“It was really important to serve our zones,” Kinane said, “because Glenbard South has really good passers. I take my time when I'm back there, take a deep breath and then look where I need to get the ball. It's a lot of pressure — you want to keep that run going.”

Trippi-Payne has seen this act before from Kinane. In last year's regional final against Metea Valley, Kinane served out the match with a school-record 16 straight points.

“She is very consistent back there,” Trippi-Payne said, “and she is tough.”

Glenbard South (8-5) was playing its first match this season with its starting lineup intact, but Raiders coach Chad Grant didn't use it as an excuse for shaky passing. Glenbard South committed 7 errors during Kinane's two long point runs.

“We felt going in that serving and passing would be a big part of tonight's match. They did it well and we didn't,” Grant said. “I thought this would be a lot closer. We had a lot of communication breakdowns. Hopefully, it will be fixed as they get more comfortable playing with each other.”

Jane Trzaska had 4 kills for Glenbard South, two coming during a 4-0 run in the second set that tied it at 9-9. Anna Watterson had 5 kills, Tarah Valdez 3 and Kim Deprez 12 digs.

“I have a lot of faith in our kids that they will be able to come back. We are still young,” Grant said. “There is a lot of room for improvement.”

Heather Meyer had 8 kills for Batavia, 5 of those kills coming in the second set and a block capping off the 12-0 run to put the Bulldogs at match point. Kristen Koncelik added 6 kills and 4 blocks and Nilles 16 assists, 2 kills and 2 blocks.

Trippi-Payne was quick to remind her girls not to let up after a one-sided first set. On Tuesday Batavia dominated St. Charles North in similar fashion through one set only to lose a three-setter.

“It feels good to be able to bounce back after Tuesday's heartbreaker,” Trippi-Payne said. “I told the girls after the first set, ‘We won the first set Tuesday 25-15 and wound up getting beat.' And I know how well Glenbard South plays and how well they are coached. They didn't play the best they can play. They were a little off tonight. But our girls rose to the challenge.”