St. Francis back in final again
NORMAL — Many teams might play tentative and with some nervousness in a third game of a state semifinal.
St. Francis, though, is not like many girls volleyball teams.
The Spartans shook off a loss in the second game to come back and dominate Breese Mater Dei in the third Friday night, beating the Knights 25-21, 21-25, 25-17 in a Class 3A semifinal at Redbird Arena.
St. Francis (37-4) will take on Joliet Catholic (25-16) at 5:30 p.m. Saturday for the state championship. The Spartans will be seeking their third straight state title and 11th in program history. It will be the first time St. Francis and Joliet Catholic, two of the storied programs in IHSA girls volleyball history, will meet for a state title. Mater Dei (37-4) will meet Montini at 4 p.m. for third place.
“It's a thrill,” said 39th-year St. Francis coach Peg Kopec, who will coach in her 13th state title match. “People frequently ask if this gets old. It doesn't get old, ever. The state championship is something little girls dream of and coaches dream of. It's a thrill.”
It took a strong effort from the Spartans to get past Mater Dei, a program with seven state titles of its own.
In the first game St. Francis broke loose from a 20-20 tie, using a Knights service error to take a 21-20 lead the Spartans didn't relinquish. Kills from sophomore Kamryn Malloy and senior Mary Boken made it 23-20 and a passing error by Mater Dei put the Spartans at game point. A Madi Haake kill made it 24-21 but Boken's kill gave St. Francis a 1-0 lead in the match.
But despite falling behind 7-3 early, the Knights came back in the second game, using a strong net game from Maake and junior Kelly Voss to get back into the game. A St. Francis passing error broke a 17-17 tie and the Knights used that to their advantage, eventually tying the match on a kill by Haake.
But going to a third gameagainst a formidable opponent wasn't a new adventure for the Spartans. They kept their composure and dominated the third game, racing out to leads of 8-2, 13-5 and 18-10. They cruised to the win, which was sealed by a block from the Clemson-bound Boken and senior Sarah Musienga.
“In the third set we got it together so much because we play so well as a team,” said Boken, who finished with 9 kills. “We made a few minor adjustments and we just got our chemistry going on the court.”
The Spartans also played stellar defense in the third game, something Kopec pointed to as a key to the win.
“Defense wins championships,” the coach said. “The whole team stepped it up on defense in the third set.”
Senior Nebraska recruit Molly Haggerty led the Spartans with 16 kills and 10 digs. Malloy added 10 kills and 8 digs, senior libero Lisa Mordell had 11 digs and junior setter Daniele Messa had 7 digs to go along with a state tournament record 39 assists. St. Francis had 48 digs in the match to the Knights' 34, and Messa's 39 assists were more than the 33 Mater Dei had as a team.
“When we're not setting Molly, our other hitters are getting a lot of kills,” Kopec said. “I think our offense has a lot of depth to it.”
“Once we got the ball moving around we all played a lot better,” said Haggerty, who accounted for 18 of the Spartans' points. “Dani just moves the ball around so well it makes it easier on us. We just really stuck together as a team. Our tough schedule gets us ready for these situations. We just relied on our chemistry on the court.”
Haake led Mater Dei with 13 kills, 13 assists and 8 digs and Voss added 7 kills.
“I don't think I could ask too much more out of these girls tonight,” said Knights coach Chad Rakers. “We came in and gave them everything we had and I couldn't be prouder. That's a great team, and there's a reason they're ranked high nationally.”
The Spartans will get a shot at the three-peat against a Joliet Catholic team going for the program's fourth state title.
“They're obviously a great team and they deserve to be down here,” Haggerty said of the Angels. “I'm really excited to play them. They have a great history.”