Harvest Christian claims 1A sectional crown
Sydney Doby wants to see a state banner hanging in the Harvest Christian Academy gym.
Some work still needs to be done to achieve that goal. But the Lions earned a sectional championship plaque Thursday night to put on the wall.
Harvest Christian defeated Luther North 25-17, 25-12 in the Class 1A Westminster Christian sectional title match in Elgin.
“It feels good to go another step and bring our school that much closer to state,” said Doby, a sophomore.
The Lions (25-11), who are in their first school year of playing IHSA sports, will play Dakota at 4 p.m. Saturday in the Hanover River Ridge supersectional with a trip to the state semifinals at Redbird Arena in Normal next weekend on the line.
“It’s hard to put into words,” Harvest Christian coach Kim Floyd said. “This is momentous for the school, for the team, for the girls.”
Harvest Christian wasn’t in top form, but used long scoring runs in each game to earn the victory. The Lions scored the first 8 points of the opening game on Jade Martinez’s serve, including 3 aces. The Wildcats got within 4, 12-8, and stayed closer for a while thanks to 10 unforced errors by Harvest Christian. A Doby kill on the second game point gave the Lions the opening game victory.
“I would say in some aspects we were pretty nervous,” Harvest Christian senior Kali Cramer said. “It was our sectional match and all we had to do was go out there and fight for it.”
The Lions had 4 errors early in the second game as Luther North took an 8-6 lead. The Wildcats led 9-8 after a kill from Kayla Bushey, who finished with a team-high 3 kills. A hitting error by the Wildcats tied the match. Cramer then served 12 consecutive points, including 3 aces, as the Lions took control and a 21-9 lead. A Luther North net violation ended the match and the celebration began.
“It’s a really big deal for us,” Cramer said. “We worked so hard for this. I have been playing here for six years. It’s always been a dream of mine. I’m so happy we have the chance to be here.”
Doby finished with 8 kills, 2 blocks and 2 aces. Cramer had 2 kills, 5 aces, 8 assists and 6 digs. Erica Manusos added 6 kills, including 5 in the second game, and 12 digs. Sarah Kott added 4 kills. Katelyn Floyd had 10 assists.
“I don’t think so yet because this is our first year,” coach Floyd said of any pressure building on the Lions. “This is new. They don’t know to know there is pressure beyond here. They’re just enjoying the moment.”