St. Charles East shows championship form
For a team not close to 100 percent physically, St. Charles East played to about 100 percent of its ability in a surprisingly quick 25-16, 25-17 victory over St. Charles North Tuesday night in the Class 4A Geneva sectional semifinal.
With Jacqui Seidel nursing a sprained left ankle and Caroline Niski dealing with an injured right ankle that is even more severe, this surely hasn't been how the defending state champions envisioned the postseason starting.
Then again, they probably didn't picture opening the season playing at Wredling Middle School because their high school gym floor was damaged. Or having school and their season interrupted for three days with a flu outbreak in October.
St. Charles East has the answer for those obstacles - and any others that come their way.
"It is tough but as coach (Jennie) Kull says, 'We're Saints, we can do anything,'" freshman setter Erinne Barry said.
St. Charles East (31-6) certainly did Tuesday, beating St. Charles North in much easier fashion than a three-game win during the regular season.
The top-seeded Saints will play No. 3 York at 7 p.m. Thursday for the sectional title. It's a rematch of last year's sectional final and a chance for the Saints to get back home Saturday for the St. Charles East supersectional.
"Our kids haven't played that well for awhile," Kull said. "That was great to see."
The Saints took a 7-0 lead in Game 1 of the first meeting with the North Stars, and they nearly did it again jumping out 8-1 Tuesday when North Stars coach Lindsey Hawkins called her first timeout. Meghan Niski's 7-point service run included two Seidel kills and a block.
The Saints extended the advantage to as much as 16-4. Seidel, who sat out the first game Saturday in the reginal finals against Willowbrook, continued to be a problem for the North Stars with three more kills and an ace.
"Jacqui, her energy was there and I think everyone just felt at home again," Kull said.
"I feel good," Seidel said. "I'm just taking extra precaution to make sure it (the ankle) is well enough to make sure I can keep playing. Overall I feel great. I have a lot of adrenaline going."
The North Stars played better late in Game 1, cutting the 12-point deficit to 7 three times. Jen Ask's 3 kills and Jill Stolzenburg's 2 kills and a block helped close the gap, but five serving errors by St. Charles North stalled their momentum.
Sophomore Kathleen Dailey's kill and block on the final two points closed Game 1.
"We couldn't seem to get the momentum on our side," Hawkins said. "You have to give them credit. They are a tough team.
"Half those girls know what that pressure is like. Our girls gave it their best. There are things we could have done better. We needed to clean up the errors on our side and they did a good job exploiting them."
Game 2 brought more of the same, with Meghan Niski joining Seidel as the hitting star with 5 kills in the game. Seidel added five more and Sam Szarmach, who drew praise from Kull for filling in for Caroline Niski, four.
Leading 23-16, Kull brought Caroline Niski in for the first time and the Maryland recruit responded with a kill on the next point. Kull said Niski got the OK Monday to return to practice.
The win came in front of a nearly packed Geneva gym, with great atmospheres for both semifinals.
"It was so much fun to play so well," Barry said. "It really pumped us up to have the whole crowd here."
The North Stars closed Hawkins' first year at 25-12. They graduate seniors Ask, Karlie Giesler, Emma Headley and Allie VanDril.
"Despite the end we had a great season," Hawkins said. "A lot of people underestimated this group of girls. A lot of people didn't think they could win. Overall I'm so proud of them because they accomplished a lot more than just a bunch of wins."