Girls volleyball: Marian Central turns back determined St. Viator
The girls volleyball season finally came to an end for St. Viator on Thursday night in Woodstock.
But the No. 2-seeded Lions started out like they didn't want it to end against top-seeded Marian Central Catholic in the championship match of the Class 3A Woodstock sectional.
St. Viator threw a big scare into the Hurricanes by winning the first set 28-26.
But Marian Central and its three Division I recruits and likely future Division I setter McKayla Wuensch (43 assists) showed why its record now stands at 36-3.
They rallied for a 26-28, 25-11, 25-15 triumph and third straight sectional crown.
Senior Rachel Giustino (committed to Murray State) and junior Sydney Nemtuda (Florida Atlantic) each put down 14 kills while Houston Baptist junior recruit Lauren Hanlon added 11 to lead the Hurricanes to their fifth title in six years under coach Amanda Morris, whose career record stands at 200-78.
"St. Viator (20-18) got here for a reason," said Morris, whose club defeated the Lions 25-14, 25-15 in Woodstock earlier this season in an East Suburban Catholic Conference match. "They definitely showed up to play and we needed to step up after the first set, and we did."
The Lions stepped up big in Set 1, which was tied at 12-12 before a kill by senior Alyssa Forbes (team-high 10 kills) and a service point from Gabi Thomas (3 kills) gave the Lions a 2-point edge.
A net violation and kill by freshman Carrie Leazer (8 kills) off sophomore Michaela Mueller's set gave Viator a 17-13 lead.
The Hurricanes came back to tie it at 21 and went ahead 23-21 thanks to a block and kill by Hanlon.
But the relentless Lions got to set point on a kill by Emily Hayes (3 kills) that made it 25-24. Viator pulled out the set on a kill from Leazer and hitting error by Marian Central which made it 28-26.
"I thought we were really prepared and pumped up in that first set and we tried our best to carry it into the second set," said Lions senior libero Ellie Meyer (19 digs), a four-year veteran who will graduate as the school's all-time leaders in digs with 1,489. "But it just didn't work in our favor. We played our hearts out and that's all I can ask of my teammates."
The Hurricanes were able to jump in front 8-2 in the second set and extended their lead to 12-3 on an ace by Nemtuda.
For the final set, the teams returned to the same side of the net as Set 1.
And like the opening game, the action started out even for several points until Hurricanes junior defensive specialist Meghan Schwallie stepped to the service line.
With her team nursing an 8-6 lead, Schwallie ran off 5 straight points for a 13-6 lead and Viator could never get closer than 6.
The margin was 22-9 when Viator showed its heart that again, refusing to surrender.
An ace by Mueller gave Viator 5 of the next 6 points before the Hurricanes finally won the match on kills from middle blocker Norah Cetera and Hanlon.
"That first set was amazing," said Mueller, a three-sport athlete (basketball and soccer) who collected 22 assists. "We had so much energy. And we never gave up the rest of the match.
"It can only go up from here. Just playing in this atmosphere is going to help and I know it can be really fun next season."
This season's team became the third in school history to play in a sectional championship.
"These seniors (Meyer, Forbes, Thomas, Hayes and Audrey Nuelle, Danielle Laterza and Samantha Anderson) were a great group of girls and they left on a positive mark on St. Viator history," Curtin said.
"Volleyball was their life. They gave everything they had every day, and overall, they were just good people."
Assistant Lions coach Jimmy Neill, who calls the serve placements, watched the Lions collect 4 aces (1 apiece from Leazer, Mueller, Thomas and sophomore Kendall Claffey). Sophomore Catherine Hickey came off the bench and put down a kill.
"We came out on fire," Curtin said. "We played a very, very good first set. Our ball control and passing were superb and we were bale to out the ball away. Marian Central is a very good team. To be able to play with them I am extremely proud of these girls and in their fight.
"We have a combination of three outside hitters back and a setter. Those are crucial components to make up a team. Using all the knowledge and experience we gained from this season, we look forward to next season."
This season's highlight no doubt came when the Lions won the regional championship on their home floor eight days ago.
"That was our team goal the entire season," said Meyer, who will play at the University of St. Thomas (Minn.) next year. "So achieving that was unbelievable. There were so much emotion playing our last match on our home court."
Playing at Woodstock High School, the Hurricanes were as close as they could be to home.
"They had the whole side of the bleachers filled," Curtin said. "I don't think it affected us at all. We fed off that energy. For our fans to come it was hard because this is about an hour and half away."