Girls volleyball: Benet edges Willowbrook in three-set thriller to reach 4A final

NORMAL - Right before the start of Willowbrook's first state semifinal match in program history, Benet sophomore middle blocker Lynney Tarnow met her counterpart at the net on Friday night.

At 6-foot-5, Tarnow slowly jogged across her side of the net, shaking hands with 5-10 Willowbrook middle blocker Elle Bruschuk.

The vast difference in height between the two players - who both donned a No. 12 jersey - was symbolic considering Benet's Illustrious history at state compared to the first-time attendees, Willowbrook.

In many ways, CEFCU Arena is like a second home for the Redwings - the final expected destiny for one of the best and most consistent programs in the country.

Separated by 12 miles, the two schools had different agendas on Friday. The Redwings, a team loaded with talent since the arrival of coach Brad Baker in 2007, came into the semifinal with four state championships, three runner-up finishes and a third-place trophy.

In contrast, the Warriors only have one player taller than six-foot in senior middle blocker Kalina Henry, while the Redwings were aiming to rely on their big-game experience to overwhelm Willowbrook.

"We knew we had to be consistent because height doesn't matter for everything," Tarnow said.

Yet, the Warriors were unfazed by their lack of experience or talent compared to the Redwings.

The Redwings were pushed to the limit but pulled away in the third set for a thrilling 25-19, 24-26, 26-16 victory over the Warriors in the opening Class 4A state semifinal.

The Redwings (39-2) get a chance to avenge last season's state-title match defeat to Mother McAuley, who beat Barrington Friday, in Saturday's 8:55 p.m. state championship match. Benet has four juniors currently committed to play college volleyball.

"We were here last year in the same spot and talked about the job not done yet and we know that," Baker said. "We know what (Saturday) night will bring. We know the feeling of it, before and after it. We've been preparing for this, thinking and talking about it for a year."

The Redwings, under Baker, have played some historic matches against elite teams at state, but the Warriors were a different lot. The Warriors (39-2) capitalized on five service errors by Benet in the second set to force a third set. Calli Kenny, a Marquette recruit, played outstanding, showcasing a stellar all-around game to end with 12 kills, 12 assists and 13 digs. Her sister, Hannah Kelly, added 10 kills and 15 assists to make the Redwings work for nearly every point. Willowbrook's Elisa Chivilo added 15 digs.

"The Kenny kids are really special and there's a reason they were 39-1," Baker said. "The other kids are very good volleyball players, but those kids are different. They are amazing athletes and present a lot of challenges."

The Redwings started to pull away midway through the third set behind the big-hitting of Tarnow (15 kills), Audrey Asleson (nine kills) and Gabby Stasys (eight kills). Standout libero Aniya Warren, who finished with 20 digs and five assists, said the Redwings had a different mindset late in the match.

"In the second set, we kind of talked about how we had to step it up a bit because they had more kills and we could dig more balls," Warren said. "We had to go after it."

With a large student turnout in their favor, the Warriors nearly pulled off a big upset. Late in the third set, Calli Kenny pounded down three hard kills in one sequence, but the Redwings managed to dig up every attempt.

Calli Kenny's intensity and high-level talent was the driving engine for the Warriors all match long. Even late in the match, the Warriors were smiling, laughing and playing loose.

"Obviously, those were incredible digs," Calli Kenny said of the highlight-reel sequence. "As I kept getting set, I just wanted to end the play. I honestly can't remember the last time I got set four times in a row."

Hannah Kenny, a junior, said the Warriors' program took a big step in their development in the three-set defeat.

"I think that second set was crucial for us," Hannah Kenny said. "We knew we belonged, but it was almost to prove to everybody we did. We knew we could do it. The first set we didn't play that good, but we knew it was a winnable game and could play better. We got some momentum after the second set and we proved to ourselves and everybody else we deserve to be here and we can compete against the best in the state."

Class 3A: Late in the first set, St. Francis found itself in a precarious situation against downstate Morton on Friday night.

The Spartans has a simple solution to fix their problem - get the ball to star junior Addy Horner.

And the Wisconsin recruit cured the Spartans' woes with her pair of powerful kills to secure the first-set victory, helping her team notch a hard-fought 26-24, 29-27 victory over Morton in a Class 3A state semifinal volleyball match at CEFCU Arena.

When asked if she wanted the ball at the end of the first set, Horner cracked a big smile on the postgame podium and stated, "Oh yeah, all the time."

The Spartans (33-8) extended their streak to 12 victories in a row, advancing to Saturday's 5:30 p.m. championship match against Lincoln. St. Francis, coached by Lisa Ston, are one victory away from the program's second straight state championship and 14th overall.

Horner paced the Spartans with 12 kills to go with 13 assists and two aces, while KK Dumpit added 20 assists and Catherine D'Orazio finished with 17 digs and Liv Basel collected 13 digs. Anna Paquette and Shay McMillen both had eight kills.

"This is a dream come true for most high school teams, to get downstate," Ston said.

In the first set, Morton led for most of the opener thanks to a solid defense, not allowing the Spartans to build any momentum. After the Potters seized a 24-23 lead, the 6-foot-2 Horner jumped into act with two straight kills to give her team a 25-24 lead. The Spartans closed out the first set via net violation on the Potters.

Horner, who entered the state semifinal with a team-high 242 kills, was the X-factor in the game.

"She's a really good hitter and found holes in our block and defense," Morton senior outside hitter Grace Junis. "She was a good three inches than the rest of us, but even sometimes she was hitting over our block but kudos to her."

Horner also pounded down a crucial key late in the second set, handing the Spartans just enough of a cushion at 27-26 that allowed them to pull away. The Potters (31-8) made their first state trip since 2006, falling victim to a few questionable calls late in both sets.

Still, the Spartans' illustrious state history and deep collection of talented players were unfazed by any deficit or the large contingent of red-clad Morton fans. The Potters, a tough and disciplined team, pushed the Spartans in both sets, but made 13 hitting errors and struggled matchup with Horner.

"I thought it came down to blocking and defense," Morton coach Jordan Williams said. "We were held below our hitting percentage. (The match) could've gone either way. I'm proud of my girls."

The two sets were certainly very close, just like Williams noted. The Spartans managed to pull away each set due to key kills by Horner and solid defense.

Class 2A: IC Catholic Prep's journey toward the Class 2A volleyball state championship match took some sharp and dramatic turns in the playoffs.

The Knights avenged last season's state championship defeat to Genoa-Kingston in two sets, then defeated rival Timothy Christian in a two-set thriller in a sectional final and reached their second straight state semifinal with two-set rout over Chicago Latin in the supersectional round.

"Definitely, I would say our sectional was one of the toughest sectionals in the whole state, playing against Genoa-Kingston and Timothy Christian was a battle," IC Catholic senior Ava Falduto said. "We knew we were still very far from our goal of winning this (state) tournament ... We played some amazing teams early in the playoffs."

The tough road to state, plus the motivation to atone for last season's state-title match disappointment, made for an anticlimactic experience for the Knights on Friday afternoon against Carmi at CEFCU Arena.

The Knights (36-3) relied on their veteran leadership to roll over Carmi in a 25-5, 25-16 victory to advance to the state championship match.

IC Catholic seeks its fourth state title on Saturday at 1:55 p.m. against the winner between Breese Mater Dei and Rock Falls. Once Carmi made a hitting error to seal the two-set victory, the Knights chose a casual celebration near the net.

The Knights were satisfied with a workmanlike effort but had plans for a bigger celebration on Saturday afternoon.

"Today's game was very fun and the team we played was very competitive, but last year we came into (the semifinal) all very nervous," IC Catholic senior libero Alyssa Lawton said. "It was a new experience for all of us, just getting on the court and then having a three-set thriller. It was very energetic and exciting. This year just having that (state) experience was a lot better. We weren't overwhelmed by the atmosphere. We wanted to set the tone early."

The Knights needed just 36 minutes to knock off the Lady Bulldogs (33-8), jumping out to leads of 6-1 and 16-3 in the first set. Falduto, a Penn State recruit, led the Knights with nine kills, Emily Carling added eight kills and Lucy Russ finished with seven kills and 22 assists.

"This has been our entire goal since we walked out of Redbird (Arena) last year," IC Catholic coach Nancy Kerrigan said. "It's a testament to all these girls who have committed to a plan to get us back here and they did the work behind the plan. We built all season long to this point, and now we're at our place where we need to push through."

Carling, a junior outside hitter, said the tough playoff road helped the Knights in Friday's match.

"It helped set the tone for us getting here," Carling said.