Girls volleyball: Akenten shakes off nerves as Burlington Central ousts St. Charles East in sectional semifinal

Burlington Central’s Lani Akenten admitted to having some jitters Tuesday night.

The way things started out for the freshman outside hitter made those jitters stand out as she struggled with committing a few hitting errors while St. Charles East built an early lead.

“Yeah, I think it did,” Akenten said. “I was nervous. I was really timid.

“Being confident really helped with my nerves.”

That confidence came through during a quick sequence where Akenten ripped a kill down the line and then followed that up with an ace, helping her turn things around Tuesday night.

She kept it going the rest of the way to finish with seven kills, two aces and a block as the host Rockets picked up a 27-25, 25-16 win in a Class 4A Burlington Central Sectional semifinal.

LaRaiya Cunningham-Duncan and Niyati Kasireddy added four kills apiece for the Rockets (30-7), who will play at 6 p.m. Thursday for the sectional title against St. Charles North (24-14), a 15-25, 25-15, 25-19 upset winner over top-seeded Huntley (31-6) in the other semifinal.

Emma Phillips led St. Charles East (26-12) with a match-high 10 kills. Scarlett Dickerson added eight kills for the Saints, who jumped out to an 8-3 lead in the first game.

Five of those points came off hitting errors by the Rockets.

“There were a lot of nerves,” Burlington Central coach Julia Smagacz said. “There was a lot of energy in the gym. I think that interfered with their focus.”

Akenten got the kill on the next point and landed her jump serve for an ace and the comeback was on. Her second ace of the game gave the Rockets a 26-25 lead. A kill from Kasireddy ended it.

“She showed her age a little bit early but then she showed her maturity,” Smagacz said of Akenten. “I feel like she had a couple where she was like, ‘Oh, no.’ I think it was that one line shot she had.

“I think she thought, ‘OK, now I remember who I am.’ She’s such a mentally strong player that those kinds of errors aren’t going to faze her.”

Akenten carried the momentum into the second game, putting down two kills and a block as the Rockets jumped out to an 11-4 lead and never looked back.

“I think me getting those aces got my confidence back,” Akenten said. “if I missed those, it would be very tough to get out of or we would have to fight in a third set. I think it’s cool to contribute like that.”

Despite losing the first game in heartbreaking fashion, St. Charles East coach Jessa Henry was still hopeful of a rally.

“I always expect to come back,” she said. “When we played Naperville North, we were down 23-19 and came back and won. I know they have it in them.

“Once our serve receive goes, it’s really hard to bounce back from.”

It’s the first season that the Rockets have been bumped up to Class 4A. They managed to make an immediate impact.

“This is awesome,” Smagacz said. “We made it this far in 3A last year, but to do it against these really talented 4A schools is something special.

“We’re really proud that we’re doing so well this early in 4A.”

Akenten confirmed there may still be some nerves Thursday night. However, the opportunity to win the program’s second-ever sectional title is the main thing on her mind.

“It feels good because we have something to prove,” Akenten said. “We belong here. We have a chance to get what we want by earning it. I really just want to go to state.”