Benet wins invite

Benet has gotten accustomed to coming to the Wheaton Classic and leaving with top honors, but before the Redwings claimed yet another girls volleyball title, they had to survive quite a tough test from St. Charles North.

The North Stars entered the title match Saturday night with a 15-1 record and promptly took the first set against the defending Class 4A champs 25-18. But the Redwings (14-1) rebounded to take the next two sets 25-23 and 25-17 to take the match and claim their fifth straight Wheaton Classic Crown and seventh in the last eight years.

"They came out with a lot of energy in that first set I think we were actually a little stunned." Benet senior Tiffany Clark said of the strong start by St. Charles North. "But after that we were determined." We've gotten used to playing well in this gym and we turned it on."

Both of the finalists were sharp in Saturday's earlier Gold Division matches, as St. Charles North started with a 25-20, 26-24 defeat of Wheaton North and then reached the championship by sweeping a solid Neuqua Valley squad 25-12,25-18.

Benet, meanwhile, beat Waubonsie Valley to kick off its Saturday and then took a 13-1 record into the finals after sweeping Sandburg in the semifinals. Sandburg then took on Neuqua Valley for third place in a late match, while Waubonsie Valley (8-5) took on Marist for fifth place.