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Rosary regroups, beats IC Catholic Prep

Struggling down the stretch of a Game 1 loss to IC Catholic Prep, Rosary's volleyball team needed to regroup.

The Royals (5-6) did just that, pulling away for a Game 2 victory before pulling out the decisive third game during Monday night's 15-25, 25-17, 25-19 triumph over the defending Class 2A state champions at the Kunold Athletic Center in Aurora.

Led by Tess Reardon (7 kills), Claudia Koch (5 kills, 1 block) and Frannie Cervone (4 kills, 1 block, 1 ace), the Knights relied on a late 9-1 run to turn a 16-14 lead into a 25-15 victory.

At that point, the Royals needed some sort of spark.

"The first game was a little shaky but we knew what we needed to do," said junior setter Brooklyn Martner.

Rosary coach Rachel Hartmann also knew what her team needed.

"At the end of Game 1 especially, people weren't going for balls that were easy," said Hartmann. "We need people on the court who are willing to step up in those situations.

"We got used a lot in the first game on the right side," added Hartmann. "We had to make some adjustments."

Thanks in large part to Martner (28 assists, 1 ace), the Royals found their groove.

In Game 2, senior middle hitter Michaela Ping collected 4 of her team-high 9 kills while classmate Joanna Wedge had 2 kills and a block and sophomore outside hitter Molly Curley delivered a pair of kills and an ace as the Royals began to turn the momentum around.

In Game 3, Rosary spotted IC Catholic Prep a 4-0 lead before going on a 6-1 surge to grab a 6-5 lead. Back-to-back aces from Wedge upped the margin to 9-6 before the Knights (5-5) knotted the game at 9-all.

A pair of middle kills from Ping, a fake set, turn-around kill from Martner and a left-side kill from sophomore Meegan Hart (5 kills, 3 blocks) extended the Royals' lead to 14-10.

A few moments later, sophomore Erin Burke sent a scorching kill past the Knights' defense and Wedge followed with a powerful kill off a back-set from Martner as the lead grew to 17-12. IC Catholic Prep never got within 3 the rest of the way.

"Brooklyn did a great job of distributing the ball," Hartmann said of her setter. "She knew which girl was hot at what time and where the block was coming from on the other side so everyone was always in a good situation. That makes the hitter's job a lot easier."

After dropping tight decisions to Geneva, St. Charles East and Montini, the Royals prevailed over another strong program in IC Catholic Prep.

"We're battling here," said Hartmann. "The record could be a little different but I'm still happy. The girls are starting to feel the kind of team they can be."

Sophomore libero Martha Konovodoff added 17 digs and 2 aces for the Royals.

"We've been working on coming into these matches and coming out strong," said Knights coach Nancy D'Amore. "Now we have to sustain that. We have to be able to keep up that level of play and not be back on our heels."

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