Geneva takes 3rd at Hilltopper Invitational
Most of the time coaches would prefer not to sweat out nail-biting games. But for Benet Academy girls volleyball coach Brad Baker, it was a pleasure to see his unbeaten team pushed a little bit.
The 13-0 Redwings completed a 5-0 title run at the Glenbard West Hilltopper Invite by knocking off Fremd 25-20, 27-25 in the championship match Saturday afternoon in Glen Ellyn. Benet did not drop a game in the tourney but did face a game point at 25-24 in the finale before winning the final three points to hold off Fremd (9-7).
"I thought our best volleyball of the day was the last five points," said Baker, whose team reached the finals with a 25-21, 25-20 victory over Geneva just prior to the title match. "We hadn't seen many pressure situations. It was good to see how they reacted."
Natalie Patzin had the hot hand early on with 6 kills as Benet built a 14-11 lead in Game 1. Fremd hung tough, however, and trailed just 22-20 following a kill by Kaitlyn Pascus. The Redwings closed out the opener with a kill from Patzin and a pair of Vikings errors.
"We remain calm under pressure," said Patzin, who rifled off 5 aces in the semifinal win over Geneva. "We're working real hard, so I think we deserve it."
Fremd led 13-8 in Game 2 and later erased a 21-18 deficit to take leads of 23-22 and 25-24 before coming up just short. Strong defense from Patricia Fehr and Danielle Warner kept Fremd in the match until the very end.
For Geneva, the third-place match with Glenbard East allowed the Vikings to leave the tourney on a high note.
A 25-19, 25-8 triumph gave them third place and upped their season record to 11-4. In the semifinal against Benet, setter Jenny Pokorny was tough with both passing and blocking, and Megan Odenthal helped keep things close with tough serves.
Geneva knocked off Burlington Central Saturday morning to reach the semifinals before falling to eventual champion Benet.
In Game 1 of the semis, a kill by Lauren Wicinski gave the Vikings a 12-9 lead but the Redwings rattled off 6 straight points to regain the lead.
The opener was tied at 19-all following a kill by Geneva's Kelsey Augustine and an ace from Betsey York.
Junior Jessica Jendryk paced unbeaten Benet with 8 kills in the match, including a pair of clutch attacks late in Game 1 that powered the Redwings to their 25-21 win.
The Vikings also found themselves in a 19-all tie in the nightcap following a winner by Pokorny and a hitting error by Benet. The Redwings, however, won six of the final seven points to close out the game and the match.
"They have a great team," Geneva coach KC Johnsen said. "I think both teams can play a little bit better, but both teams are playing pretty well. You have to give them some credit."
"Our setter (Pokorny), as usual, played real well and Lauren and Kelsey had a real nice weekend."