Girls volleyball: IC Catholic Prep practices claiming berth in sectional final

Talking about practice? Not a game. Practice.

IC Catholic's Bella Leslie wasn't channeling her inner Allen Iverson and his infamous news conference rant. Just the opposite.

Leslie was happy to bring up practice as she beamed with pride after her team's playoff win.

"We had some really good practices this week and it showed today," she said. "This whole season we've been working really hard, and practices are really hard and competitive. But we do that because it pays off on the court."

The Knights made short work of Francis W. Parker 25-4, 25-9 in a sectional semifinal matchup Monday night at IC Catholic Prep in Elmhurst.

Led by 12 kills from standout junior Jess Sobon, the hosts were sharp in every facet and never gave the Colonels a chance.

Sophomore Claire Wagner pitched in 5 kills, while senior Victoria Bernero added 3 for the Knights. Junior Kristen Brachmann tallied 4 aces.

"We did the job," ICCP coach Nancy Kerrigan said. "Just really emphasized first-contact skills, holding the service line and good passing and know everything else will get us points."

IC Catholic advanced to the sectional championship at 6 p.m. Wednesday against cross-town rival Timothy Christian.

The Trojans advanced with a sweep of Christ the King in the other semifinal matchup.

While the two regularly meet as conference foes, they rarely match up in the postseason. Many times they play in different classes, like last season when Timothy Christian hosted a Class 3A sectional and IC Catholic played in Class 2A.

In the teams' two matchups this season, IC Catholic have emerged the victor, but Kerrigan said her team is not taking that for granted.

"We just really need to be overly prepared, which we will do," she said. "The girls have responded really well to pregame preparation and strategy. I feel good about that. It's a strong rivalry but it's friendly. I expect high energy in the gym this Wednesday with all of Elmhurst."