Girls volleyball: St. Charles East ousts South Elgin
St. Charles East coach Jennie Kull realized defeating a talented South Elgin team on its home court would not be an easy task.
The Saints got the job done.
Second-seeded, the Saints rolled to a 25-19, 25-20 win over the fourth-ranked Storm to win the title at the 4A South Elgin regional Thursday night.
The Saints (22-14) advance to the Huntley sectional to play Belvidere North Monday at 5:30 p.m. Belvidere North defeated Harlem 25-13, 25-11 to win its own regional crown.
"South Elgin is a very talented team," said Kull. "We knew beating them in their house wouldn't be easy. We executed the game plan and came out aggressively in the first game. In the second game, South Elgin had their run but we weathered the storm."
In Game 1, with 6 lead changes early, the Saints seized control late. With the score tied at 15, East ripped off 5 straight points to grab a 20-15 advantage.
Sam Urban collected 3 kills and Anita Prybell 2 during the pivotal run for the Saints.
On a kill by Clemson-bound setter McKenna Slavik, the Saints took its biggest lead of the game at 24-17.
A kill by Urban lifted the St Charles East to a 1-0 lead in the match.
In Game 2, South Elgin (27-10) came out determined to extend the match to a third game.
The Storm took an 11-8 lead on a kill by Angelina Negron.
The Saints regrouped and went on a 10-2 surge keyed by 3 kills each by Urban and Kristen Rogers to take an 18-13 lead.
The regional plaque seemed destined to land in St. Charles.
But, the Storm had other ideas.
With 2 kills each from Kendall Richardson, Hayley Fisher and Negron, the Storm rallied for a 7-0 run and led 20-18.
In a game of runs, the Saints ended the game and match on a 7-0 run capped by a kill from Rachel Sheehan.
The Storm, which ended with a school-record 27 wins, received 6 kills each from Negron and Fisher.
Defensively, Richardson collected 7 digs and Emily Wellman 6.
"We have no regrets tonight or for the season," said South Elgin coach Joni Plach. "The kids played great tonight and had a great season. St Charles East is a good team and they were a better team tonight."
Slavik paced the Saints with 5 kills and 28 assists.
"This regional championship feels great," said Slavik. "We learned from all our losses and we were ready for the regionals. I have great hitters and they hit everything I set."
Urban backed up Slavik with 13 kills while Rogers collected 5 kills and Sheehan had 4 kills.
"This is a great group of kids and we have a great coaching staff," said Kull. "We play great competition and play in great tournaments to get ready for the postseason. We don't worry about the losses. We try to learn from them."