Girls volleyball: Harvest Christian tripped up one match short of state
Harvest Christian knew it had its hands full Monday evening at the Class 1A Aurora Christian girls volleyball supersectional with a 36-win Stockton unit who unseated reigning 1A champion Galena at the Polo sectional last week.
Harvest coach Andy Kownacki looked forward to that challenge with the knowledge of his squad's deep run last year that provided them with the needed experience against a Blackhawks team that was in their first trip into the round of eight.
"I know Stockton is a very strong team, so we have to make sure we stay on our half of the court, play up at the net, work together on defense and (go) from there," Kownacki said after his team beat St. Edward last Thursday to win its sectional.
Unfortunately for Kownacki and his club it ran into a buzzsaw that brought with it a raucous crowd of classmates, family, and other supporters making them fell like they were the home team Monday as Stockton posted a 25-16, 25-21 triumph at Davidson Gymnasium to earn it's first Final Four berth.
Stockton (37-2) will play in Friday morning's 9 a.m. semifinal at CEFCU-Redbird Arena on the Illinois State University campus in Normal where they'll face Hartsburg-Emden (31-8).
"It's an incredible feeling," Stockton coach Maddie Pontious said after seeing her team being mobbed by their classmates as they accepted the championship plaque. "They've worked so hard for this. I'm so proud of them."
In game one Blackhawks senior Maddie Mammoser's key block at the net keyed a decisive 6-1 run that she would finish with an ace for match point.
She ended up 10 Kills on the evening .
"She is our leader on the floor. She always gets the job done when she needs to," Pontious said.
HCA (27-8-1) would battle back in game two behind senior Alyssa Burke who paved the Lions effort with 5 of her 8 total kills that tied the game at 17.
But the Blackhawks responded with a decisive 8-4 tear that included 4 of freshman Emma Eisfeller's 5 kills. Mammoser closed out with the match with her 10th kill.
Pontious calls Eisfeller "her little spitfire."
"She brings a lot of energy all the time. She's amazing."
Amazing would be one of the superlatives to describe Harvest's run of success the last two falls. The Lions went a combined 50-18-1 having earned back to back Northeastern Athletic Conference titles and ending a five-year sectional title drought with their consecutive supersectional appearances.
The Lions were led by 9 seniors in addition to Burke: Faith Bartlett, Hanne Giovenco, Sophia Johnson, Malea Learned, Taylor Martin, Charlotte Mehmel, Paige Nestrick, Ella Schoenberg and Kenzie Weidman.
Kownacki paid homage to each of them.
"I'm super proud of them,“ Kownacki said. ”In general (they) have left such a wonderful legacy for this school the past four years. Them being able to do this again is great."