Girls volleyball: Radtke, Stevenson top Lake Forest in three
Rest assured, Stevenson senior volleyball player Jori Radtke made a call to DeKalb shortly after the match, bursting to share the excitement.
The call was going to older sis Jenna, who is a senior and setting all kinds of volleyball records at Northern Illinois.
"We talk all of the time, encouraging one another," said Jori, who will also be heading to NIU to play volleyball next fall. "She has senior night the night of supersectionals, so it kind of stinks that we won't be there to support each other in person. But we always know we're there in spirit."
At least a supersectional berth is what coach Tim Crow and the girls are hoping for. That's the farthest the team has advanced - on three occasions - in Crow's 16 years at the helm, including last season.
As for now, though, it's one game at a time. And Jori is busy taking care of business in these parts.
That was evident at Lakes Community High School on Tuesday evening when the Pats came from behind to oust Lake Forest 12-25, 25-18, 25-23 in the second sectional semifinal of the night.
"I think we took that first game for granted," said Radtke, who with her 16 kills on the evening eclipsed the .500 mark for the season. "We knew we needed to step up or the season was going to be over."
Well, it worked as Radtke and Stevenson now move on to the sectional title game, where they will take on Libertyville at Lakes beginning at 6 p.m. Thursday. Stevenson split a pair of matches with Libertyville this fall and was also responsible for eliminating the Cats in the sectional finals a year ago.
Lake Forest (33-4) came out blazing and was never threatened after racing out to a 21-8 with junior outside hitter Cassidy Shaul's spike polished off the Pats in the opening game.
Then the tide turned.
"I think we got real loud and got into their heads a little," said Radtke, who played fiercely the rest of the way, knowing it was win or go home.
Stevenson (31-7) promptly returned the favor in the second game jumping out to a 18-9 lead and winning comfortably. Radtke had 6 kills and a service ace during that second game.
You had a feeling things were going Stevenson's way, too, when junior Alex Cuc's serve hit the net and trickled to the other side for an ace to clinch the second game.
Naturally, the two teams left it all on the floor during the deciding third game that featured 10 ties and seven lead changes.
Five consecutive service points by senior Brigid Brennan actually enabled the Scouts to jump ahead 18-13.
But Radtke and the troops dug deep and chipped away.
Her beautifully placed kill to the right corner finally drew Stevenson even at 23-all.
"I really wanted the ball," said Radtke, whose big block then pushed the Pats ahead 24-23.
And fittingly the senior's monster kill ended the match and Lake Forest's season.
"We had some nerves and they had us on our heels in the first game," said Crow. "But it couldn't have been more perfect to have your best player make the big plays at the end."
Setter Cuc was busy dishing out 25 assists, while junior Libero Chloe Robinson and sophomore outside hitter Sophie Sorenson were diving all over the place to the tune of 10 digs apiece.
Sorenson also had 5 kills and 4 service aces, while junior right side hitter Hope Havenhill nailed down 6 kills in the victory.