How IVC stayed calm, rallied and secured its first trip to the IHSA volleyball state finals
MAROA — Kenna Wollard’s connection with Ali Bainter gained steam in the second set and never cooled.
The Illinois Valley Central senior outside hitter totaled 24 kills and two aces en route to a 14-25, 25-14, 25-19 victory over Pleasant Plains in the Class 2A Maroa-Forsyth Supersectional on Friday.
The Grey Ghosts (36-3-1) advance to their first state appearance against Genoa-Kingston at Redbird Arena in Normal on noon Friday. The winner faces either Elmhurst IC Catholic or Freeburg in the state final on Saturday.
“We definitely got the connection going,” Wollard said. “That first set we knew we had to come back and get some momentum going, so we tried to start right off the bat get the big ole kill. That's what we did. We kept riding through every point and we got it done.”
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Wollard paints the floor
Wollard, a Purdue commit, came into the contest ranked third all-time in IHSA history with 1,769 career kills and fifth with 632 in a season.
She had five kills by the end of the first set but torched the left side of the net in particular afterward.
IVC started the second set with a 10-5 advantage and later went on a five-point run for a 17-9 margin.
“These kids, we always come out jittery but they don't panic,” IVC coach Troy Web said. “They didn't panic tonight and they took care of two sets in a row — absolutely proud of them.
“We just know if we play clean volleyball we're going to be OK. We had a lot of unforced errors in set one, but you know what? We've been like that a little bit all year, so we don't panic and the girls don't panic.”
'Complete package': IVC phenom cements status as one of Peoria's all-time volleyball greats
The Ghosts rallied from 13-11 deficit in the third set and took a sudden 18-13 lead with seven unanswered points.
Wollard virtually carried IVC up until that point and the rest of the team finished the job.
Senior middle hitter Mairen Mannon helped cement the win with three consecutive kills.
Bainter tallied 32 assists while Sage Geltmaker and Olivia Thompson had 15 digs apiece. Mannon and Lizzy Short had two blocks each.
“We all played our heart out and just took every opportunity that we had,” Wollard said.
Plains seniors leave a legacy
Plains senior hitters Lauren Buxton and Peyton Bergschneider glistened one last time after the Cardinals settled for second place last year.
Buxton manufactured 10 kills, five blocks and an ace while Bergschneider had 11 kills. Junior hitter Sydney McAfee contributed 10 kills.
Setters Jaycee Smith and Claire Long had 20 and 14 assists, respectively.
Plains coach Denise Dufour said the adrenaline just waned after the first set.
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“No. 14 (Wollard) got going and we were struggling here and there to get the dig on her,” Dufour said. “We tried to adjust some things, but she's a great hitter. it's fun to play against a girl like that because it really challenges you.
“I think that's a great thing for these girls just knowing that they really did work hard. They gave everything that they had, I'm so proud of them.”
Plains finished with one more win than last season at 35-5.
“They've just been awesome — all of my seniors,” Dufour said. “All six of them are so special. I say a lot of times it's hard to let your seniors go but this group is definitely going to be hard to let go. They've left such a legacy here. They're just so humble and they worked so hard. We all wanted it for them too, just wasn't meant to be this year.”
Contact Bill Welt: (217) 788-1545, bill.welt@sj-r.com, Twitter.com/BillWelt
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: IHSA volleyball: IVC defeats Pleasant Plains to win 2A supersectional
