Girls volleyball: St. Francis pulls out thriller for 2nd straight state crown
NORMAL - One point away from a second straight Class 3A state championship, KK Dumpit quickly smacked the ball twice on the floor, then watched it fly over the net.
The St. Francis senior setter immediately darted a few yards closer to the net, finding herself in an optimum spot to cement her legacy with a highlight-reel play. When the ball returned back to the Spartans' side of the court, Dumpit had one thought in her mind - set up star junior Addy Horner for the possible state-title match victory.
With one big swing of her right arm, Horner drilled the ball over the net. As the ball landed on the court, the Spartans all crashed toward the floor near Dumpit in a wave of joy.
Another state championship trophy was headed to the halls of St. Francis High School.
The Spartans mounted a furious comeback to prevail 23-25, 25-23, 26-24 over Lincoln in the Class 3A state championship match Saturday night at CEFCU Arena.
The Spartans captured their second straight state title to run their program total to 14 state championships, moving them three behind Mother McAuley - for a few hours at least - for the most state titles in Illinois history.
Just like last year's state championship match point against Nazareth, Dumpit followed the same script by setting Horner for the championship kill.
"Right before (serving), we were all talking about that this is what we have worked for," Dumpit. "I was just thinking this is everything I have, and I've trusted all my teammates and was able to get them the ball (all game) and they were able to put it down. I was excited to be back in the game and kind of finish it with everyone. I trusted everybody, but with the passing situation, I knew Abby would put it down, so I gave it to her."
The 6-foot-3 Horner, a big presence at the net, added another milestone to her growing legacy with the championship kill. She helped fueled the third set charge with numerous powerful kills, finishing with a team-best 13 kills to go with 23 assists.
"It's super exciting and like a dream dogpile with these girls that I can call my family," Horner said. "KK puts up a great ball for me every time and the passers put up a great ball ... It's a team effort."
Anna Paquette kept her team from a quick defeat, playing outstanding at the net to compile 12 kills, four assists, a service ace and 13 digs. Shay McMillen was a force with nine kills, while Emma Delaney added eight kills and five digs.
"That was a really hard-earned battle," St. Francis coach Lisa Ston said after capturing her second state title. "Lincoln was a very good team, a tribute to them. We struggled to find a hole early because their defense was so strong. They were digging everything we were hitting. They are an excellent team."
Kloe Froebe was a big sparkplug for Lincoln, compiling 16 kills and 19 digs to lead her team. Peyton Sasse added 13 kills and 10 digs and Addison Qualters racked up 38 assists and 15 digs for the Railsplitters.
The Spartans relied on a team effort to down Lincoln, including receiving 19 assists and 11 digs from Dumpit and 25 digs from Catherine D'Orazio, but Paquette sparked several rallies with momentum-changing kills to keep Lincoln was running away with the victory.
"I knew in the moment I had to swing at the ball, and swinging hard," Paquette said. "I just listened to my passers calling shots was key."
St. Francis (34-8) showed tremendous resilience and determination mounting numerous comebacks to knock off the pesky Railsplitters (36-4). In the first set, Lincoln led nearly the entire way, but the second set included seven ties and five lead changes. The dramatic third set was even more tense, with 10 ties and seven lead changes.
The Railsplitters had leads of 10-7 and 18-14 in the final set, but St. Francis was unfazed by any deficit. McMillen delivered a kill to spark a rally to turn a 18-14 deficit into a tie game at 18-18 following a hitting error by Lincoln.
Horner, a Wisconsin recruit, pounded two kills in a three-point sequence to hand St. Francis a 21-19 lead. The Spartans closed out the match via a block by Gabriella Rendina's block followed by Horner's highlight-reel kill.
Ston said the Spartans have several big-time players, but the strength of the team lies in their balance, which showed in the final statistics.
"I don't believe our setters are afraid to set any of our hitters because they do trust them and we've run a pretty diverse offense all year, which has helped the girls not be tentative in this moment," Ston said. "They know they have the ability and certainly we had a good team effort tonight."