Girls volleyball: York beats Lyons Twp. a third time

You don't have to tell York's Gigi Barr how hard it is to beat a team three times in a season.

"It's difficult because they get to know you, you get to know them and they really want it," Barr said. "Since you beat them the first two times, they're really going to want it the third time."

But difficult doesn't mean impossible.

Barr and fellow outside hitter Jessica Levy both had huge hitting games Monday when the Dukes rallied to knock off Lyons Twp. 23-25, 25-15, 25-20 at the Class 4A York sectional semifinals.

It was the third time York (26-12) has beaten Lyons (21-14), a West Suburban Silver rival, this season and by far the most difficult. Yet the second-seeded Dukes, who will play top-seeded Downers Grove North in Wednesday's title game, were ready.

"I think this team is really, really good at facing adversity," Levy said. "We faced some hard games, injuries, losses all season long and we've been really good at not letting it get to us.

"I think once one person is up it kind of brings the whole team up, so when Gigi and I were able to get some good swings on the outside, it kind of brought our entire team with us and everyone was doing amazing things."

Barr, a sophomore, was unstoppable at times and so was Levy, a senior who has mentored her younger teammate. Barr led all players with 18 kills, while Levy landed 17 to go with 11 service points. Together they accounted for 78 percent of York's offense.

"We didn't run our middles as well today, so our outsides really helped us out," York coach Patty Iverson said. "They did a nice job."

Barr's performance was especially noteworthy considering outside is not her natural position. She plays middle hitter in club and has struggled at times with her serve receive.

Those problems arose again in Game 1 against the sixth-seeded Lions, who came back from a 19-16 deficit to put a scare in the Dukes.

"I kind of struggle in the first game," Barr said. "I get nervous but then I get it out of my head once it comes around to the second game, so I'm really working on going (strong) from the get-go."

Barr and Levy landed 10 of their team's 12 kills in the opener. That, combined with the Lions' height advantage in the middle, prompted sophomore setter Grace Meadows to keep feeding them. Meadows finished with 40 assists.

"We really just started to have fun," Barr said. "(Levy) is one our seniors and she's really helping me fit into the position.

"She's been a role model for me so we really get into a rhythm with our setter and we just have some fun and then we start hitting and hitting."

The Dukes rolled to victory in Game 2 and trailed only once, at 1-0, in the tighter third set, during which Stella Barr recorded 4 of her 5 kills before Gigi Barr spiked the clinching kill.

"(Gigi Barr) is a great hitter," Iverson said. "You got a good setter giving her a ball and they're (blocking her) 1-on-1. She had great opportunities to swing."

The Dukes lost to Downers North during the regular season but are hoping to flip the script on Wednesday.

"I know Downers Grove is such a good team," Levy said "They're clean, they're so precise, but I think if we come out and play like we did tonight we'll be able to give them a game."