Rosary takes out Raiders

After splitting their two regular-season matches against rival St. Francis this year, the Rosary Royals earned a chance on Tuesday night to dispel the Spartans when it matters most.

The second-seeded Royals conquered Glenbard South 25-8, 25-20 in the second match of Tuesday's Class 3A Nazareth Academy sectional semifinals, advancing to the sectional championship and a date with the Spartans.

"We're very confident, but we know it's going to be really tough," Royals senior Lindsey Weber said of the impending sectional final."Thursday, we're ready to play."

Rosary (28-10) emerged ready to play Tuesday night as well, turning a 6-5 Game 1 lead into a 15-6 advantage behind the strong serving of senior Lauren Buckley. The 9-1 streak included 2 Buckley aces along with kills by Weber, Amelia Wegman and Kelly Hogan.

Focus loomed as a potential problem entering Tuesday's game, as the Royals needed extra discipline from coach Lisa Kasper during a Monday practice to sharpen the team's mindset.

"They came in very focused, especially in that first game. That was unbelievable," Kasper said. "We had to come out strong."

Despite the 17-point victory in Game 1, Kasper and the Royals knew they'd face a tougher test from a Glenbard South (24-14) team that was facing the last game of its season.

"The second game was going to be tough, because it was possibly the end of their season," Kasper said. "We were expecting a better second game, but they did what they needed to do."

The Raiders held a lead in Game 2 as late as 18-17 but couldn't avoid shooting themselves in the collective foot as the game neared a close.

"Not to take anything away from Rosary, but when you have 22 errors in Game 2, you're not going to win," Glenbard South coach Sherry Hudson said. "It's mental. We haven't been in this caliber of a game for the last two years, and I know in that first game, we'll chalk it up to sectional first-game jitters."

An emotional Hudson came to grips afterward with having to say goodbye to the team's seven seniors.

"I hate to see them go like this," Hudson said. "These seniors were freshmen when I took over the program, so we felt like we built this program together."

Rosary will face St. Francis at 7 p.m. Thursday, with the sectional crown - and a tasty treat - on the line.

"If they win, they get ice cream, which they're very excited about," Kasper said.