Girls volleyball: Mother McAuley's rally denies St. Charles East's bid for state title
NORMAL - St. Charles East volleyball coach Jennie Kull wanted to make sure she enjoyed her last dance.
After the Saints beat Mother McAuley in the first game of the Class 4A state semifinal on Friday night, Kull spent the majority of the timeout between games working on her dance moves.
As her players clung together in a tight circle, Kull broke out a few moves in a light and fun timeout as House of Pain's "Jump Around" blared loudly from the speakers at Redbird Arena. Her players followed her lead, spending most of the timeout dancing, smiling and laughing.
"(Dancing) is very normal," Kull said. "It's a game and it's fun. I love being with these kids. I'm very blessed to have this group of kids. We always have a good time together."
Kull, who has won two state championships and guided the Saints through an emotional farewell tour that will end at Redbird Arena, said she always planned on cherishing her final season.
For a volleyball coach, there's no better spot to end a season than Redbird Arena.
Kull plans on retiring at the end of the school calendar year, leading to a memorable conclusion to her storied coaching career.
The Saints, in their first state trip since 2011, nearly added another fairy-tale victory for Kull.
Mother McAuley managed to steal the spotlight, storming back to win the final two games to record a 25-27, 25-17, 25-20 victory over the Saints. Mother McAuley junior outside hitter Ellie White showed why she's considered an elite national player, recording a match-best 23 kills to go with nine digs to spark the comeback. St. Charles East senior outside hitter Kate Goudreau nearly matched White's stellar play, finishing with 20 kills and 12 digs.
"She has a greatness about her, and my level of expectation is so high for her," Mother McAuley coach Jen DeJarld said of White.
The Mighty Macs, the most storied program in the state, will battle Benet in Saturday's 8:55 p.m. state championship match. The Redwings beat Barrington in the first semifinal to set up a memorable title match between two of the top programs in the state.
The Mighty Macs (38-3), who lost to Metea Valley in the 4A championship match last season, ended a possible storybook ending to Kull's career with a thrilling comeback.
"If you miss six serves, you are probably going to have a difficult time winning a game," Kull said. "I'm so proud of the kids, from the way they came back. That's what they've done the entire year, just battled. I couldn't be prouder of the way they battled and worked.
"It's a fairy-tale ending (for me) for sure. These kids have worked really hard to get the seniors here and me here. I couldn't be more thankful for this group of girls. They made this happen."
The Saints (33-8) battled the odds and pushed the Mighty Macs to the limit, erasing a 9-1 deficit in the first game behind solid defensive play and big-time hitting via Goudreau.
The Mighty Macs forced a third game by pulling ahead at the midway point of the second game. The Saints weren't flustered, seizing leads of 11-10, 15-13 and 18-15 following a service error. White fueled the Mighty Macs' comeback with four kills down the stretch to seal the victory.
The Saints received nine kills from Alexis Crossen, while Lia Schneider contributed 19 digs and seven assists. Sarah Musial added 26 assists for the Saints.
"The energy on the floor was very exciting and the most amazing feeling," Crossen said. "My teammates told me to keep being aggressive, and that kept me up."
Meanwhile, Goudreau, who currently has no plans to play in college, said she's been playing the best volleyball of her career late in the season.
"This is probably the best I've ever played, and it's my last year," she said. "It's pretty exciting to be able to have a good last year."