Geneva outlasts Rosary

While no team wants to play without a hitter like Geneva junior Grace Loberg, the Vikings do at least have half of their 1-2 punch still putting balls away.

Ally Barrett, another Division I-bound junior outside hitter, blasted one kill after another Thursday night at Rosary, leading the Vikings to a hard-fought 25-21, 22-25, 25-22 victory.

Barrett, headed to the University of Connecticut, finished with 18 kills and 3 blocks.

"She is one of those players who has stepped up and rose to the occasion," Geneva coach Annie Seitelman said. "She really did a nice job for us and got some great swings. Our setter did a nice job at the end distributing to give Ally some more opportunities when she didn't have a double block in front of her."

Seitelman has moved a few players around without Loberg, who played briefly Tuesday in a loss to St. Charles North but is still out with mono. Kyley Thompson moved from right side to outside, and other Vikings are getting their turn.

All three sets were tight with the teams battling through 28 ties and 10 lead changes. Neither team led by more than four points in any of the three sets.

Rosary (4-4) held its last lead of the opening set at 18-17. Thompson tooled a ball for a 19-18 Geneva lead, and Barrett's ninth kill ended the set.

While the Royals blocked Barrett better as the match went on she still proved to be a difference-maker.

"You have to be strong," Rosary coach Rachel Fox said. "You can't leave her. She has a good line shot, she has a good cross shot. We had some great blocks against her. We told the girls she's going to get kills. We stopped her a handful of times."

Martha Konovodoff dug one of Barrett's swings early in the second set, eventually leading to a Molly Curley kill and 3-0 Rosary lead. Again the teams stayed close, the Royals taking their biggest lead at 24-20 on Erin Burke's kill after another sprawling dig by Konovodoff.

The Vikings (9-1) saved 2 set points on Ally Mullen's block and Thompson's kill before Geneva missed a serve - one of 12 in the match - to give Rosary the set.

Rosary led 12-9 early in the deciding set. Geneva responded, going up 22-19 before Meegan Hart's block ignited a 3-point Rosary run to tie the score at 22.

Geneva broke the tie on Julia Brown's block, went up 24-22 on Payton Bellano's ace and ended the match on another Barrett kill.

"It just goes to show we are versatile," Seitelman said. "We have some depth on our hitters. We would love to have Grace out there but our other kids are doing a really nice job."

Geneva's depth includes Thompson (5 kills, 8 digs), Brown (4 kills), Mikayla Lanasa (33 assists) and Bellano (3 aces, 15 digs).

Burke led Rosary with 8 kills, Hart had 7 kills and 2 blocks, Curley 7 kills, Maya Sullivan 5 kills, Konovodoff 26 digs and Julia Gauthier 31 assists, 3 aces and 10 digs.

"The kids are playing mentally tougher than last year," Fox said. "Offensively we got in a little rut. We need to mix it up a little more. It gives us an idea of what we need to work on."