Girls volleyball: St. Charles East dethrones St. Francis
Ally Watson remembers as a young child seven years ago, watching the St. Charles East girls volleyball win its final game before heading down to win the 2008 state championship in Normal.
That season also happened to be the last time the Saints won the annual Peggy Scholten Volleyball Classic at Fremd High School.
Until Saturday, when Watson's kill and block were the final 2 points in the Saints' dramatic 11-25, 25-20, 26-24 victory over Wheaton St. Francis, the same team the Saints beat for the title in 2008.
In fact, St. Charles East and St. Francis have incredibly played for the Scholten crown the last nine years.
Watson finished with 5 kills and 6 blocks in the title match that boosted the Saints' record to 8-0.
"I just had a lot of adrenaline there at the end," Watson, a 5-foot-10 three year varsity outside hitter, said of her big match-ending points. "I had to get the job done and do it for my team."
"Ally did a fantastic job," said Saints coach Jennie Kull. "She has grown immensely since sixth grade. She has really matured."
The Saints did not let a 25-11 setback in Set 1 get them down.
"That definitely motivated us to come back and work harder in for the next two sets," Watson said. "Obviously it was a bit disappointing to lose that first game like that but as a team we knew we had to pull together and win the next two."
Saints 6-1 senior middle blocker Riley Schumacher recorded 11 blocks in the title match while 6-3 Avery Macklin had four.
Other top attackers were Klaudia Sowizral (8 kills), Kyla Augustine (6 kills) and Macklin (3).
Junior setter Morgan Kull handed out 14 assists with 6 digs while sophomore Kyra Slavik chipped in 10 assists and 9 digs.
"I'm so pleased," said Jennie Kull, whose team has no one committed to play at the D-I level at the moment. "The thing about it is that it took every single kid and they all took part in it."
Set 3 had its drama as the Saints raced ahead 19-10 but the Spartans charged back and tied it at 23-23.
Schumacher's block gave SCE a 24-23 lead but St. Francis tied it again on a hitting error before Watson made her two big plays.
"You can't be up 19-10 and let them back in it like that," Jennie Kull said. "So that is something we have to work on."
But the veteran coach liked the way her team bounced back from Set 1 when it lost by 14 points.
"They responded," coach Kull said. "They are a very coachable group and they want to learn. So I feel great about what's ahead."
The Spartans, who will play in the Class 4A state tourney this fall after winning the last three 3A crowns (38-4 last year), were ahead the whole way in Set 1.
But after taking a 2-0 lead in Set 2, SCE rallied for a 7-2 advantage and kept the pressure on St. Francis (4-2) the rest of the way.
Wisconsin-bound senior Molly Haggerty led the Spartans with 13 kills, followed by junior Indiana recruit Kamryn Mallory with 7, Missouri State recruit Daniele Messa (4), Cat Wilson (3) and Louisville-bound Alexia Byrnes (3). Messa also handed out 28 assists.
"They (SCE) were the better blocking team today," said St. Francis coach Peg Kopec, whose club was the six-time defending Peggy Scholten champion. "St. Charles East didn't block well in set 1. In sets 2 and 3, they blocked very well. It's back to the drawing board for us."