Haggerty provides needed spark for Benet
Meghan Haggerty is the only Benet starter who wasn't in the gym playing or watching last year's volleyball sectionals from the bench.
Good thing the Redwings had her Tuesday.
Benet's 6-foot-2 sophomore middle had 3 kills and 3 blocks in the third set of a 25-18, 23-25, 25-19 win over Downers Grove North in a Class 4A Lockport sectional semifinal match.
Benet moves on to play Hinsdale Central for the championship Thursday.
With No. 1 seed Benet trailing 6-3 in the third set, Haggerty accounted for 4 straight Redwings points, critical in tying it at 7-7.
"That third set was really close," Haggerty said, "and I just wanted to help out my team. I knew we could come back. Free balls, we try to get the ball to the middle because other teams don't expect it. It's great to be a part of it now."
Two more ties ensued before Benet took the lead for good on Downers Grove North's third service error of the set. Two Gina Finke kills pushed the Redwings ahead 12-9. It was still 19-15 after a kill by Trojans sophomore Taylor Kasal, but Haggerty stood tall for consecutive blocks to all but salt away the match.
"Offensively, we got her involved, which is good," Benet coach Brad Baker said. "It shows how easy it makes the game for everybody when you can get your middles involved."
Benet (34-4) came out on fire in the first set, jumping out to an 8-1 lead behind kills by Finke, Lara Ontko and Alyson Farm and 2 Finke aces. The margin bulged to 18-7, and a Finke kill put the first set away. The Redwings committed 13 errors in the second set, then watched Downers Grove North go ahead 6-1 in the third before rallying.
"We just needed to make sure we stayed aggressive," Baker said. "We want to be attacking all the time. No matter what the score is or what the situation is, we want to be the aggressor."
Britta Baarstad had 13 kills for No. 4 Downers Grove North (27-11), including set point in the second and the first point of the third. Kills by Baarstad and Gina Gammonley pulled the Trojans within 12-11 in the third, but Benet answered with a Finke kill and Katelyn King ace.
Kasal had 7 kills and Marek 29 assists for the Trojans, who came a win away from doubling last year's total in a big turnaround season.
"For them to fight the way they did and turn things around in the second set shows their growth," Trojans coach Mark Wasik said. "That was rewarding as a coach. The third set kind of encapsulated our season, the good and the bad. We slowly let a team back in, Benet plays at a high level and we let them get the best of us there and then we fought back and made something of it at the end."
Finke had 10 kills, Sierra Young 8 kills, Ontko 7 kills and Brianne Riley 22 digs for Benet.