No drama this time, not that Benet minded a bit.
The Redwings' rematch with Mother McAuley only resembled last year's marathon supersectional in one way: a Benet two-game win. Trailing just three times, Benet rolled to a 25-14, 25-21 win in Thursday's Class 4A Lyons Sectional final. "It's nice to get a good, clean win," said Michigan-bound senior Tiffany Clark, who had 10 kills and six digs. "Last year (a 27-25, 37-35 win) was great, but this is even better." This was Benet's fifth straight sectional championship, and boosts the Redwings (37-2) into a supersectional against St. Francis at 1 p.m. Saturday at Bolingbrook. That match will pit the defending Class 4A and Class 3A state champs, two schools separated by eight miles that never meet in volleyball. For a night, Benet coach Brad Baker savored a win over McAuley (31-9), which handed his team its last loss in October. "We had to match, and go above what they do," Baker said. "We've been here before with them and every time it's a high-intensity match." Clark was half of a key lineup switch Benet made in September. A libero for her club team, Clark was moved to outside with Lauren Barnes assuming the libero jersey. Both looked right at home Thursday. Barnes, a junior, made a series of spectacular digs in Game 1. She lunged for a one-armed save to keep one rally alive, Lauren Berta putting it away with a block and 13-10 Benet lead. Later, Barnes went into a full dive forward to turn up a McAuley spike just before it hit court, and Benet won the point to go ahead 24-17. "My mindset is to not let a ball drop," Barnes said. "If I see a ball, I'm going for it no matter what." Barnes finished with a match-high 17 digs. Her defense, in large part, kept McAuley standout middle Kayla Caffey from establishing any momentum. "You look good when your players play well," Baker said. "Lauren is a strong kid and she played like it." McAuley played more like itself in the second game, but Clark was not to be denied. She slammed home eight of her 10 kills in Game 2. After Laura Keating's ace gave Benet the lead for good at 16-15, Clark unloaded on a vicious spike off a McAuley defender. In a groove, she reached back for another big hit to make it 19-15, then put a missile down the line. Trailing 15-14, Benet regained control with a 6-0 run. "We knew that McAuley team we played in Game 1 is not the team we're used to playing," Clark said. "Outside is a great change of pace for me from club. I love hitting the ball." Benet never trailed in Game 1 after a 3-0 lead, dominating the action from midway on. At 12-10 the Redwings ripped off a 7-0 run, a stretch started by one of Barnes' big digs. McAuley contributed with three of its nine first-game errors, and Sarah Nielsen's two aces finished it. Nielsen had 20 assists, Veronica Snelling eight kills and Lina Lietuvninkas four for Benet. "It's easy to start slow and let the pressure get to you, but I thought we did a great job of bringing intensity from the start," Clark said. "We still aren't there yet. We have so many more things to accomplish." Comments are closed.
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