Spartans hit high notes, top Montini
The St. Francis girls volleyball team played like its house band.
They both rocked.
With a student band cranking out Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Deep Purple at high volume in the corner of the gym, the host Spartans jammed on the court to the tune of a 25-15, 25-10 Suburban Catholic Conference sweep of Montini in Monday's season opener in Wheaton.
"Where is Frank Sinatra when you need him?" St. Francis coach Peg Kopec asked as she struggled to be heard over the band.
Kopec dubbed her team's performance merely "OK," but it was hard not to be impressed by the winners, who saw eight players record at least 1 kill.
"It's good to get that (first match) out of the way," Kopec said. "It's nice to have a win. We've got some babies on the court. We have some work to do."
An early 10-point run gave the Spartans momentum for the night and flashed the considerable potential they have yet again this season.
St. Francis graduated a pair of Division I outside hitters in Megan Boken and Alyssa Rio from their 2006 Class AA state championship team. That would normally spell trouble for most programs, but apparently not this one.
Kopec has called on a pair of 5-foot-11 youngsters, sophomore Kelsey Robinson and freshman Meg Vondehaar, to take over the outside. Robinson responded with a match-high 9 kills and Vondehaar added 4.
"We have a sophomore on a freshman on the St. Francis varsity, it's kind of scary Larry," Kopec said. "But I thought they did well."
"It was definitely fun and exciting, and definitely nerve-wracking," Robinson said. "I have a lot to fill with Rio and Boken gone, but I definitely got a lot of help from my teammates."
As usual, Texas-bound setter Michelle Kocher helped all of St. Francis' hitters. The senior handed out 19 assists to go along with 3 kills and 3 aces.
Middle hitter Megan Barnicle added 4 kills and a block, while right-side hitter Meghan Matusiak totaled 3 kills, a block and an ace for the home team.
Middle hitter Chrissy Fletcher's 3 kills and 2 blocks led Montini, which never got on a roll.
"At times we were competitive, but we just made too many errors to stay in a match against a team that doesn't make errors," said Broncos coach Sara Lhotka, a St. Francis grad. "We have to avoid making errors when we have a little bit of momentum to take advantage of that."
Downers Grove North d. Lincoln-Way East:ŒTerese Byrne pounded 16 kills to power the Trojans to a 25-22, 20-25, 25-12 season-opening victory. Erica Behm collected 23 assists, while Molly Sigerich registered 6 aces and 4 kills in the win.
Marian Central d. Immaculate Conception:ŒThe Knights dropped their Suburban Catholic Conference opener 25-22, 25-22. They received 10 assists from Abby West, 14 digs from Catherine Guido and 4 kills apiece from Danielle Remy and Meg Kowieski.
Newark d. Lisle:ŒDanielle Fernette came up with 12 digs and served 4 aces for Lisle, which suffered a 25-21, 25-23 defeat in its season debut. Annie Antonsen chipped in 7 assists and 3 kills in the loss.
Rosary d. Driscoll:ŒBridget Delboccio posted 3 kills and 2 blocks for the Highlanders, who dropped their opener 25-9, 25-12 in Suburban Catholic Conference action.