Surviving on drive

Cary-Grove’s Colleen Hargrove jumps in celebration after the Trojans beat Glenbrook South, 19-25, 25-17, 27-25, during the IHSA Class 4A Girls Volleyball State Tournament semifinals Friday at Redbird Arena in Normal. (Lauren M. Anderson – landerson@nwherald.com)

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NORMAL – When Glenbrook South had Cary-Grove’s girls volleyball team facing a five-point deficit, the Titans reminded themselves that an appearance in the state title match was all they wanted this season.

Glenbrook South, however, had run into a team that wanted it more.

C-G staged the biggest comeback of the day Friday during the IHSA Class 4A state semifinals to beat Glenbrook South, 19-25, 25-17, 27-25, and earn the right to play for a state championship at 7:45 p.m. today against Lyons, which defeated Quincy in the other semifinal.

The match did not start as well as C-G had hoped, but the possibility of playing in the program’s first state finals and missing the opportunity to win it all drove the Trojans until the final point.

“It hasn’t hit me yet,” senior setter Abbey Heredia said. “It was awesome to have that kind of a finish.

“This wasn’t exactly the kind of match we were hoping to play, but we’ll come out and play Cary-Grove volleyball tomorrow.”

C-G trailed, 18-13, in the third set when Langanis took her team’s final timeout. The Trojans came out of the break and earned side-out off a Titans error, then trimmed their lead to two, 18-16, with a block kill from Ashley Rosch and another Titans error.

Glenbrook South put C-G on the ropes again, taking a 21-16 lead, and were two points away from winning the match, 23-19, when junior outside hitter Kelly Lamberti took over.

Lamberti’s kill made it a three-point game, 23-20, and the Trojans forced an error to make it 23-21.

Lamberti (match-high 17 kills) smacked down two more kills and Colleen Smith served an ace to put the Trojans ahead, 25-24. A C-G four-hits violation tied the game at 25, but another Lamberti kill and ace sealed the Trojans’ win.

“Glenbrook South wouldn’t let up,” Langanis said. “I don’t know how we managed to stay in that [third] game. They were coming at us the whole time.

“This team, though, laid it all out on the court.”

C-G had served its way through the second set, recording seven total aces, including three in a row from Kayla Klinger (five kills, five aces). C-G took an 11-point advantage, 19-8, before Glenbrook South put together a solid but unsuccessful rally.

Titans junior outside hitter Ellen Chapman dissected the Trojans’ defense for nine kills in the first set. C-G’s blocking frustrated the 6-foot-4 Wisconsin-bound hitter in sets 2 and 3.

“She was hitting a lot of deep balls,” Klinger said. “We’re not used to having to defend that.”

Glenbrook South was left nearly as shocked as C-G, but with less to celebrate.

“Our girls are very disappointed,” Glenbrook South coach Katie Hoover said. “ ... The girls had big goals and big dreams this year. We’re going to refocus, but we are disappointed.”

Meanwhile, C-G is preparing for the state title match and does not plan to play out-of-sync like the Trojans did early Friday.

“We know now what state’s all about,” Heredia said. “We’re going to be ready tomorrow, and we’re going to play true Cary-Grove volleyball.”