It's state in '08 for Burlington Central
FREEPORT - The next time Metamora's girls volleyball team plays Burlington Central, if there is a next time, the Redbirds might want to think about a different defensive strategy.
Why? Well, because trying to single-block the Rockets' Stephanie Holthus is like trying to take out a tooth without novacaine - very painful.
Holthus slammed home 18 kills and the Rockets played as well as they have at any point in the postseason Saturday night, as they dominated Metamora 25-23, 25-19 to win the Class 3A Freeport supersectional and advance to the state's Final Four for the first time in school history. They will become the first team in school history, boys or girls, to bring home a trophy from a team sport state final tournament. The BC boys and girls track programs have each won state hardware.
The Rockets (34-6) take on Chicago Walter Payton in the 4:30 p.m. state semifinal next Friday at Redbird Arena in Normal. Payton defeated Marian Central in 3 games Saturday to win the Grayslake Central supersectional.
"It's amazing to be part of the first team to go downstate," said Holthus, a junior who is committed to Northwestern. "If we play our game no one is going to be able to stop us."
No one has yet in this postseason. The Rockets have now beaten teams in sectional and supersectional play that came into those matches with a combined record of 101-6.
"This is just awesome," said BC coach Marv Leavitt as the Rocket Rowdies screamed 'State in '08' behind him. "(Holthus) is the best player I've ever seen in all my years of coaching. She does it all. She's a champion and she wants to make the big plays; that's a winner."
It's also Leavitt's first trip to the Redbird sidelines in his 19 years of coaching. Now in his fourth year at BC, he coached teams at St. Charles and St. Edward to Sweet 16's but never downstate.
"I've had a lot of special moments with players over the years that have nothing to do with winning and losing," he said. "But this means a lot to me, the kids, the school and the community. We'll enjoy this today and tomorrow and then get some tape on Chicago Payton and go to work."
The Rockets were all business Saturday night. Game 1 was close throughout but after taking an 8-7 lead on a Holthus block, Central never trailed again. They led by as many as 4 points and closed out the Redbirds (35-3) on a kill by junior Taylor Scully, who ended the match with her usual steady game of 7 kills and tough defense at the net.
"Taylor Scully has been a rock for us, as has Megan Zasada," Leavitt said. "All of our players have played their roles extremely well."
Game 2 wasn't as close as the final score. With Holthus on fire, and using senior setter Molly Turk's precision sets, BC led 11-4 and 22-12 before Metamora made the score respectable. In building the 11-4 lead Holthus served 4 straight aces with her devastating jump serve.
"Molly was giving me amazing sets and I've been working on the top spin on my serve for a while," said Holthus, who was a perfect 10-of-10 on serve receive and had 6 digs. "We definitely did not want to go 3 games. We wanted to come out strong in Game 2 and finish it."
Said Turk: "We just said that every time we go three it's close and tonight we're not going three. Stephanie and I were connecting tonight but it was also (Metamora) having a single block. You can't stop Steph with a double block. I don't know why they tried to single block her."
Again it was Scully who came up with the match-winning kill when she drove the 25th point off two Metamora defenders.
Turk had 21 assists and 4 kills for the Rockets, while Zasada was 10-of-11 on serve receive.
"You always want to win and goals are great, but I honestly never thought we'd make it to state," said Turk, whose ailing back was a bit better Saturday but still not 100 percent. "It just shows what hard work and dedication can do."
Leavitt says his team is showing its true potential at just the right time.
"I knew we could be good," he said. "I didn't know we could be this good. We're peaking at the right time of the season."
And how.