Team-first 'D' helps Benet past St. Charles East
If Benet Academy is going to head downstate again this year in girls volleyball, the Redwings will need contributions from a number of players.
That needed depth and versatility was on display Wednesday night when a strong St. Charles East team came to town. The hosts picked up strong play from a number of players and used it to hold off the Saints 25-19, 26-24.
Six-foot-3 middle Rachael Fara led a balanced attack with 11 kills, but Veronica Snelling had 8 and Dana Griffin 5 as Benet improved to 16-0. The Redwings, who won the highly competitive Wheaton Classic last weekend, also got superb play from setter Sara Nielson along with the program's staple of great back-row defenders.
"To get to where we need to be, we're going to need everybody to play well," Redwings coach Brad Baker said. "It's going to have to be a total team effort. To expect it to be one or two kids who carry us, it's not gonna happen. We're going to need everybody, every night."
That's not to say you'll find many middles better than Fara or many liberos better than Natalie Canulli, but even those standouts know it's a team game. Canulli had 8 digs against the Saints, but Tiffany Clark had 14 and Dana Griffin recorded 11.
"In the second game St. Charles East definitely brought it to us," Fara said. "We have to expect the A game from every team that we play. Defense, I believe, wins games; the more you can keep the ball alive the more chances you get with the offense. It's fantastic. The girls that play defense for us, it's great."
Benet led just 6-5 in the opener following a kill from Fara, but then went on a 13-7 run to take command of the first set. St. Charles East, however, led 14-11 in the nightcap and that set then featured eight ties late from 17-17, to 24-all before the home team claimed the night's final 2 points.
Saints senior Megan Schildmeyer, who had 8 kills and 14 assists, was proud of her team's effort on the road against one of the top teams in the state.
"I think we did a good job of making our presence shown and making them play from the beginning," the setter/outside hitter said. "Playing with Benet is a success in its own They're a very good team. The fact that we hung with them makes me really proud of how my team played."
St. Charles East (14-4) was missing outside Kyla Augustine on Wednesday, yet the Saints rebounded from a slow start to make the Redwings earn the nonconference win.
"I was pleased," Saints coach Jennie Kull said. "Obviously they're a great team, and they're at home. But there were some positives that came out of it and a lot to learn from. I saw heart in my kids that I had never seen."
On a night when both teams flashed defense and extended plays, Anne Hughes led the visitors with 14 digs and Morgan Kull had 8. St. Charles East, like Benet, also was balanced on offense as Meagan Smith had 7 kills and Mikaela Mosquera 6 to join Schildmeyer in a well-rounded attack.
Snelling, who had 8 kills for the Redwings, feels her team is starting to come together well this time of the year.
"I feel like our flow is starting to come together more and our communication is coming together," said Snelling. "The way that the back row works with the front row is definitely coming along."