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Girls volleyball: St. Edward eliminated by Fulton

FULTON, Ill. - The stout defense and overpowering offense that the St. Edward girls volleyball team often relied upon this postseason abandoned the team when it needed another heroic performance - but it never came.

The Green Wave got those performances in the regional round, upsetting two opponents, including top-seeded Rockford Lutheran, en route to a regional title. But St. Edward couldn't topple Fulton in a 25-21, 25-19 loss on Tuesday in a semifinal match of the Class 2A Fulton sectional.

"We played hard and I thought we were going to pick it up," said St. Edward junior Dominique Washington, who had a match-high 12 kills. "But we were shaky on offense, and our defense had trouble picking up their middle hitters. We just couldn't find that energy we had all along."

St. Edward (18-16) led early, but had slim leads in both games and couldn't put the Steamers away. A 7-7 tie was the last time the Green Wave didn't trail in the first game, but they battled back from a 20-14 deficit to cut it to 21-20.

A timeout from Fulton helped the Steamers, who scored 5 of the next 6 points, regroup and finish the game. Again, in Game 2, St. Edward looked as if it had solved the Fulton defense and led 10-5. Another Steamers timeout turned the game, and the match, around.

Fulton (30-8) went on a 10-2 run, led by 4 kills during that stretch by Betsy Leonard, to effectively put the match out of reach. Leonard led Fulton with 11 kills.

"They do a good job of spreading you out," Green Wave coach Jaime Dovichi said. "They can score from their hitters and are tough in the back row. We tried to get the ball to Dominique whenever we could. She brings such consistent power, but we ultimately couldn't string enough points together."

Just as Fulton expected, Washington was strong. The Steamers scouted the Green Wave heavily and made sure to key on the star outside hitter. She still managed to deliver timely kills, but Fulton didn't let the other St. Edward hitters join the party.

Megan Barth was next with 3 kills, and Erin Kremer had 2.

"We knew (Washington) would get her kills," said Fulton coach Stacy Germann, whose team plays Lena-Winslow Thursday for the sectional title. "She's a real good player. She's a beast when she rises up. We made sure to make her work for her kills, and I think we did that well."

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