Harvard on its game in sectional final

E-mail this story

Print this story

Share

OREGON – Coming into Thursday’s IHSA Class 2A Oregon Sectional final, the Harvard girls volleyball team didn’t know a lot about its opponent, Savanna West Carroll, but for coach Kelly Brierley’s Hornets, it didn’t matter.

“Just play your game,” Brierley said after the Hornets defeated the Thunder, 25-16, 25-11. “We knew they had a good outside hitter in [Rebecca Fritz], but other than that, we didn’t know too much.

“No matter who the other team is, you have to stay focused on your own side. It all comes down to playing your game.”

Playing its own game worked well for Harvard (25-12), which advances to the Spring Valley Hall Supersectional against Illinois Valley Central at 7 p.m. Saturday for a chance to advance to the state semifinals in Normal.

“We’re going to approach the next game like we approached all our games,” Brierley said. “We’ll practice on Friday and try to learn as much as we can about our opponent, but if we play our game, the other team shouldn’t matter.

“We’ve got a great chance at moving on.”

The Hornets were led by Brittany Finke’s nine kills, Marcy Nystrom’s 12 digs and Katarina Rotta’s 15 assists.

“We pushed the other team and forced them to make errors,” Finke said. “Everyone stepped up and left everything on the court.

“That’s the kind of effort you look for every night and we always seem to bring it.”

Harvard took control of the match early, as junior outside hitter Shannon Ditsch and senior Ashleigh Fisher contributed seven kills in the first set.

Rotta, a freshman setter, opened the second set by serving nine consecutive points, which included four aces, to help give Harvard a 9-0 lead. Finke recorded six of her nine kills during the set, and senior Ashley Crosby ended the match with back-to-back aces.

The Hornets are one win away from a trip to state.

“Our goal for the year was to make it down to state,” Finke said. “Getting to this point sure is something else.

“We’ve progressed so much this year. We started off as a team of individuals, but have evolved as one big team, and everybody’s involved.”