Girls volleyball: Belvidere North ends Kaneland's 34-4 year
Moments after the decisive point to crown Belvidere North the Class 3A Sycamore sectional champions fell out of bounds, Maddie Buckley and the Kaneland Knights gathered in a circle one final time before leaving the court.
Arms were linked waist-to-waist. Tears were wiped away from faces and hugs exchanged with seniors that donned the white, silver and black for a final time in a record-setting 34-win season.
While perhaps a difficult 25-18, 25-21 finish on Wednesday, it was also a culmination of a mission that began back during the summer. All those weeks later, the Knights won their fourth regional title in six seasons and were at the doorstep of winning the program's first sectional title since 1977.
“Just so proud,” said Buckley, a Ball State recruit, with tears beginning to well. “Just so proud and seeing everything that this team has been through and the goals that we've all accomplished, I'm just so proud.”
Perhaps it was fitting for the Knights' bona fide leader to have her final kill pull Kaneland within 22-21 in the second set. Belvidere North (38-2) scored the match's final three points to secure the program's second sectional title, joining the one won in 2019.
Belvidere North advances to the Woodstock North supersectional and will face St. Viator on Friday.
“No regrets,” said Buckley, who had seven kills and an ace to cap off her outstanding high school career. “No regrets at all.”
“It was sad because our season ended, but it was also kind of a happy moment because we've made it this far,” said Knights senior Olivia Sheehan of their final embrace. “It's the farthest that we've gotten in the past few years, so I thought it was pretty cool that we got to the [sectional] finals at least. It would've been fun to win state; it was sad it ended but it was still a good time.”
In the first set, the Thunder used a 5-0 run to jump out to an 18-11 advantage, but a kill from junior Mia Kane broke the mini run. The Knights later used a 3-0 run, all from Buckley, to claw within 19-15 and soon within three at 20-17 after a Kane ace. But the Thunder ultimately swarmed for a 4-0 run to outpace Kaneland before an attack error ended the set.
In the second set, the Knights used a 3-0 run on a Thunder attack error, Kane block and Sheehan kill to pull within 20-19 but Bradley recruit Kaitlin Leider broke it to go back up two. A Thunder service error seesawed it back to a 21-20 Thunder lead, but Jayden Flynn, a Stephen F. Austin recruit, answered with a kill. Buckley's final point and the final Thunder run ended it with the Thunder fans shortly following match's end stormed the court in celebration.
“We had the worst serve and pass game of our entire season [Wednesday],” Belvidere North coach Amanda Carlson said. “But there are some girls that just really dug deep. Our setter, Jayden Flynn, when we need[ed] somebody to put us on their back, it was her. It was her 1,000% from the service line, to dumping balls, to finding hitters; she did it all. She found a way. I think she kind of pushed us all forward to keep our heads up, even when the things we do best just weren't working.”
“We just needed a run here and there,” Kaneland coach Cynthia Violett said. “We were just getting one or two points [at times]. We weren't getting the big run. I think we had one big run one time and that was it. They're [Belvidere North] a good team. They weren't making the mistakes and that's the big difference.”
Belvidere North featured four players set to play Division I volleyball in the fall, and turned in its best effort to key in defensively on Buckley.
“We knew that she was going to get a lot of balls,” Carlson said. “So we just made the decision that we're going to go and try and get two people on her whenever possible. That seemed to work.”
Kaneland graduates six seniors — Meghan O'Sullivan, Mackenzie Ewen, Bella Rio, Olivia Rohlman, Sheehan and Buckley.
“I think it's a great experience. We're like a little family,” Sheehan said. “We're always together after school every single day. We do team bonding and we're always out, even after practices. We're always with each other and having a good time, so it's basically like a second family to us.”