Girls volleyball: Benet dominates New Trier at the net in supersectional, headed to state for third straight year
Benet only trailed by a total of two points in the entirety of its supersectional match against New Trier on Monday.
When? After giving up the first point of each set.
After that, it was all Redwings.
Benet used its dominant play at the net to help the Redwings secure their third straight trip to state with a 25-17, 25-15 over New Trier at the Class 4A St. Charles North Supersectional.
The Redwings (39-1) will take on Huntley (32-8) in the state semifinals on Friday at Redbird Arena in Normal. The Red Raiders took down Fremd in two sets to make their first appearance at state since 1997.
“It’s just so exciting, I’m on top of the world,” said Benet senior outside hitter Brooklynne Brass, a transfer from Minooka who will be making her first trip to state. “I’m just really excited to go down there and be able to compete with them.”
Brass, who’s committed to play at Maryland in college, led the charge for the Redwings at the net, recording 11 kills in the match, including the match-clinching one on a floater that landed in the middle of a group of Trevians.
“We just played our game the entire time,” Brass said. “We focused on our side, focused on how we were going to play and we went out there and we showed it.”
But it wasn’t just Brass who was bringing down the hammer for a Benet team that finished with 31 of its 50 points coming off of kills. Junior middle Lynney Tarnow finished with seven on the night, while senior outside hitter Keira O’Donnell and setter Audrey Asleson adding four more each.
“It’s great when it’s your night,” said Tarnow, a Wisconsin commit “It’s always awesome when other people can take control, but having that role and being a player that could really put the fire on tonight was just exciting. And I was more than happy to take of the pressure off my team and put it on my shoulders.”
Asleson also ended up with 28 assists on the night. The Colorado commit said that her aggressive approach at the net in the first set led to blockers focusing on her, which led to the outside and middle attacks to become more open.
And while she usually tries to focus on the hot hand in each match, Asleson said that all of her teammates were on the top of their game.
“It just makes my job a whole lot easier,” Asleson said. “I know whoever I give it to, they can put it away. And even if they make a mistake or get blocked, I know I could go back to them and they can get the next ball.”
While players like Tarnow and Asleson are making their third straight trip down to state, they know that some of their key players like Brass or O’Donnell haven’t, and it’ll be their job to show how much a state title would mean for the team after falling just short in each of the last two seasons.
“Most of us have been down there, but for the few that haven’t, they just get to experience the magic of Redbird Arena and what it really means to us,” Tarnow said. “It’s the third year, and the goal is the same through these past three years. But being down there with new players and old is really special.”