Girls volleyball: Montini sweeps IC Catholic Prep, claims sectional title

Admittedly, sometimes you need a little luck to make a flying dig and keep the ball in play, or to pull out long point after long point.

And sure enough, maybe Montini did catch a break or two Wednesday night in their Class 2A sectional final against IC Catholic Prep. But there's no denying the Broncos are a talented bunch and that they've worked hard to get to where they are today, which is now headed off to the supersectionals with a 35-1 record after knocking off the Knights 25-18, 25-17 at Trinity Christian.

There were many action-packed long rallies in the match, but Montini seemed to pull out key points whenever they needed to have them to keep a 30-win Knights squad from pulling off the upset.

"Everyone did their part and did their part as well as they could," junior setter/opposite Jordan Heatherly said. "The team as a whole has been working so hard and the coaches have been teaching us to be the best that we can…so I think that's why we're here. Those long rallies and us pulling them out boosted our confidence. We just came out on top."

Looking to claim the school's second volleyball sectional title, Montini jumped ahead 6-3 in each set and later led 17-12 in each set. ICCP (30-7), led by 10 kills from senior Claire Wagner and 9 from sophomore Ava Falduto, battled to stay close throughout the match before coming up just short.

Montini was clicking with Paige Pickering and Ariana Joubert - who combined for 16 kills - on the outside, but also had strong play in the middle from Madalyn Kasallis (8 kills), great passing from Heatherly and stellar defense from senior libero Reeghan Boyer, a Western Michigan commit.

"I think that definitely goes to our conditioning. We condition every day so that we are prepared for the long rallies so when we've got to have a point we can pull it out," said Boyer, who had 12 digs on the night. "We're very, very lucky to have a very advanced team. We can set the ball anywhere and we're confident in that hitter. We can hit the ball anywhere and we know that back row player is going to hit it up."

Because of the hard work and talent, first-year coach Trish Samolinksi and her players have had lofty goals all year long.

"We're striving for state. This is a step in the right direction. We're not there yet but we're planning to get there," said Boyer.

Samolinksi was all smiles holding the sectional plaque on Wednesday and gearing up Saturday's supersectional matchup against Rock Falls at 6 p.m. at ICCP.

"We knew it was going to be a hard match so we were really working hard in the gym and challenging each other so we were ready for this," she said. "They just came out to play.

"It was great to see it. It's a little bit of grittiness and a little bit of luck (winning all those long points). We've been practicing relentless pursuit on everything so that we can make the plays longer and make sure we're finishing well."

ICCP coach Nancy Kerrigan will return plenty of talent next year, including Falduto and setter Lucy Russ, both sophomores.

"It was a tough game but we knew that coming in," said Falduto. "We're a young team. We know we have work to do and we'll be ready for next year."