Mustangs tip Spartans for tourney title

The championship match between Downers Grove South and St. Francis certainly gave the fans their money's worth at the Maine West Pumpkin Volleyball Tournament on Saturday afternoon.

The Mustangs edged out the Spartans 25-23, 23-25, 25-21 to earn first place and the championship plaque.

Both teams had to win five consecutive matches over the two-day invitational to reach the finals, and despite coming up just short, St. Francis (27-6) felt it had little to be upset about.

"It's hard to lose, but we played better than we did in our last championship match," junior outside hitter Kelsey Robinson said. "So the good news is we got better."

Spartans coach Peg Kopec couldn't have agreed more.

"I thought it was really good for us," Kopec said. "Sometimes we get a little panicked in tight matches, but I thought we played hard with a lot of heart. We didn't lose focus. This was an excellent match, and I certainly would have liked to have won it, but I'm very proud of the girls and not disappointed."

The Spartans came out strong in Game 2, but Downers South kept them in check until Robinson took over. Trailing 17-16, Robinson tallied one of her 14 kills of the match to tie the score. She took control of serve and overpowered the Mustangs, scoring 6 straight points that included an ace and two tips.

"We came out with a different attitude than the first game," Robinson said. "We came out ready to play. We knew where they were going to hit and how to dig them."

St. Francis opened a 5-1 lead in Game 3, but Downers South closed the gap and eventually tied the game at 13. There were six lead changes before Mustangs senior middle hitter Kelsey Safranek put the match away with her 16th kill.