Lisle finishes with a flourish
In many ways Lisle’s match Tuesday with Plano resembled the Lions seniors’ four years.
Flashes of potential. A bumpy road at times. Most important, a fantastic finish.
The Lions scored the last six points of the match to close out a 25-15, 25-23 win, clinching at least a share of the school’s first Interstate Eight Conference North title since 2007.
“It is awesome,” said Lisle senior outside and four-year starter Vanessa Abenante. “I could never have anticipated having this successful of a season. Sometimes at practice you just want to take a break, but this makes it all worth it.”
It is Lisle’s 13th conference title but the first for this group of seniors who make up the Lions’ entire starting lineup. Abenante has been with Lisle coach Matt Hrubesky since her freshman year, and libero Frankie Parrillo for three.
“It’s extremely satisfying for this to happen for them,” Hrubesky said. “It’s a group of kids with a lot of talent that didn’t know how good they really could be and were stunned that we were doing as well as we were — which is fun. We’re just starting to believe. It’s nice for our seniors, especially the ones who have been with me so long, to go out on a high note.”
It is quite a turnaround in one year for Lisle (21-6, 8-0). The Lions were 15-18 a year ago, took third in conference with a 5-5 record and lost in a regional semifinal. Lisle’s improvement isn’t because of any key additions; it all came from within.
“We have grown a lot the last season,” Abenante said. “Our communication is much better. In past years not everybody on the team has had a positive relationship. This year everybody gets along and it really translates onto the court.”
Tuesday was also Volley for the Cure night at Lisle, with the gym adorned in pink decorations.
The special event perhaps caused the Lions to be a little off their game.
Plano (5-18, 1-7), which lost to Lisle in two sets earlier in the year, fought the Lions tooth and nail from the start. A kill by Hannah Deblois knotted the first set 10-10, its seventh tie. From there Lisle reeled off a 10-1 run. Beth Plucinski and Abenante each had 2 kills during the stretch and Darian Payne a kill. An Abenante kill and a jump-serve ace finished the set.
“We knew we had to push and keep working,” Plucinski said. “We beat Plano before and we weren’t down by a lot.”
The momentum didn’t carry into the second. Lisle, which has lost just one set in conference matches this year, trailed 13-7 after two Deblois kills sandwiched around a Breanna Bassett ace.
It was 23-19, when a Plano service error gave Lisle back serve.
Two Plucinski kills, the second a tip kill by the 6-foot right-side, and two Plano errors set up Lisle at match point. Abenante did the honors with her eighth kill. Plucinski finished with 6 kills, Payne 5 and Anita Urban 18 assists.
“I don’t think we were quite focused with all that was going on,” Abenante said, “and we realized we had to pick it up a little bit. It’s a different feel with the gym decorated and everything, but once you get on the court it shouldn’t make a difference.”