Redhawks deliver knockout punch
After a split decision in the regular season, Naperville Central delivered the knockout when it mattered most.
The Redhawks were still standing after their third three-game match with Naperville North this season, rallying for a 22-25, 25-18, 25-14 win in the second semifinal of the Class 4A Downers Grove South sectional on Tuesday.
"North is such a great team. Both teams knew coming in that it would be fight to your death with one team going home," said a red-faced, losing her voice from the emotion Redhawks senior Emily McGee, magnificent with 16 kills and 16 digs. "Both team fought hard. It was great competing with them."
The defending state champions will meet top seed Benet, who beat Naperville Central twice during the regular season, in a 7 p.m. sectional final on Thursday.
"(Benet senior) Ariana (Mankus) and I hang out all the time," Naperville Central senior Meghan Bray said, "so it will be kind of different playing them because I see her so much. It's going to be a really good game.
"They are a great team. Their record speaks for itself," McGee said. "We'll have to go hard in practice Wednesday and be ready for them."
Naperville Central (33-5) struggled to get the ball to its big hitters in Game 1, but that turned in the second game. Four early kills by Bray gave the Redhawks a 10-5 lead. McGee cleaned up after that, putting down 7 kills for her team's last 14 points in Game 2. A McGee kill on a Huskies overpass gave the Redhawks game point.
"We found a rhythm there in that second game," Bray said. "We got used to how they were playing and we finally caught a rhythm."
The Redhawks scored the first four points of Game 3 on Kelsey Hoey's serve, two on aces, and never trailed. Holding onto a 13-10 lead, Naperville Central ran off 10 of the game's next 12 points. Mary Carroll made a nice two-hand flip into the back of the Naperville North defense and Nicole Ramey then put up 2 blocks to make it 20-12.
Naperville North (33-5) pulled away to win a close Game 1. Up 19-18, Huskies junior Audrey Wilson dropped in a tip, Nrithya Sundararaman had a block and tip kill and Emily Cardwell a kill.
"We did a great job battling back in that first game," Naperville North coach Jennifer Urban said. "Central got ahead in the second and third games. We just didn't have enough to chip away at that lead. After they got down they played like defending state champions."
Carroll and Ramey each had 5 kills and 2 digs and Hoey 27 assists for Naperville Central. Julie Chin had 19 digs, Wilson and Cardwell 8 kills and Sundararman 7 kills for Naperville North.
"We lost it a little bit in Game 1, which is what we did the last time we played them," Naperville Central coach Brie Isaacson said, "but the girls just continued to build in Game 2 and that kind of carried over into Game 3."