Spartans clinch share of SCC title
As she prepared to serve to St. Edward midway through Wednesday's girls volleyball match, St. Francis junior Kelsey Robinsion stepped backward onto a paper banner that had fallen to the ground upside down, tape sticking the sign to the bottom of her shoe.
She laughed as she tried to kick the sign free and blushed a bit, albeit not as pink as the special Volley for the Cure uniforms both teams were wearing. It was a rare moment of vulnerability at the service line for Robinson, who finished with 15 service points, including 9 aces, to help St. Francis to a 25-9, 20-25, 25-17 victory over the Green Wave in Elgin Wednesday night.
The win clinched a share of the Suburban Catholic Conference title for the Spartans, who had to settle for second place in the SCC behind Rosary in 2007.
"This is big for us after finishing second last year," St. Francis coach Peg Kopec said. "St. Ed's has been on a huge roll. They beat Rosary, they beat Marian, they beat everybody."
The Green Wave nearly beat St. Francis, too. St. Edward (15-13, 9-3) pulled to within 17-16 in Game 3 when Katie Yohn's spike hit the tape and rolled along the top of the net before dropping for a point.
But St. Francis (22-6, 11-1) seized control with 7 straight points, a push helped initially by 2 St. Edward errors. Highlights of the decisive run included a smash by Cassie Rio, a tip kill by Gabrielle Zito and the final 2 aces by Robinson, who blitzed St. Edward with 6 straight aces in Game 1.
"Two little mistakes made it 19-16, and they started running away," St. Edward coach Jaime Walton said of Game 3. "But we're getting there."
Loyola-bound hitter Kristen Haggenjos led the Green Wave with 9 kills, including 6 in Game 2. Sophomore Meg Vonderhaar paced the Spartans with 9 kills and Katherine Parisi and Kelsey Vogert combined for 15 digs. But the key statistic was Robinson's 9 aces.
"I just put it so it's hard for them to return," Robinson said of her devastating topspin jump serve. One of her opponents was more direct.
"I've never seen a girl that good at her age," said Haggenjos, a seasoned club volleyball veteran. "She's going to go very far."