Barrington outside hitter Annie Spicer said she believed she and her teammates could come back from a 13-2 deficit against eighth-ranked Hersey in Game 2 of the Mid-Suburban League volleyball championship match.
But her wry smile and laugh indicated her belief was half-hearted at best.
Regardless, the Fillies did just that, reeling off 14 of the next 15 points to sweep two-time defending champion Hersey 15-1, 16-14 before a spirited crowd at Hersey.
“Who knew?” said Spicer, who led the Game 2 charge with five kills down the stretch. “We still had a positive attitude we could win it. When we made it 14-7, we were like, `OK, only seven more.’ We stepped it up incredibly well.”
Spicer, a 5-foot-10-inch senior, led the Fillies (28-7) with eight kills on 15-of-17 hitting and three aces. But it was her play in the late stages of the Game 2 that was impressive.
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After Barrington cut the lead to 14-7, Spicer put away four points with kills, including the one to tie it at 14-14.
Then Daria Sak recorded an ace before Sak’s kill ended it.
” Some of the players and some of the coaches were ready to chalk it up and get ready for the third game,” Barrington coach Karen Traub said. “Then Spicer started putting balls away.”
Equally impressive as Barrington’s comeback was the ease with which it won Game 1. Hersey (26-4) took a 1-0 lead before Barrington reeled off 15 points for the win.
The Fillies were greatly aided by the Huskies’ sloppy play, as nine of the 15 points were attributed to Hersey mistakes. Hersey had three service errors in the Game 1 and six in all.
Katie Freese finished with four kills on 11-of-12 hitting for Barrington, while setter Victoria Zimmerman had 18 assists, five blocks and an ace.
Janet Goreham, a 6-foot middle blocker, paced Hersey with 10 kills.
“It’s our first [conference championship] in a long time,” Traub said. “It means a lot. They came to play when it mattered most.”
Sean Duncan.
Providence d. Marian Catholic 17-19, 15-13, 15-12: Renata Dargan tallied 13 kills and 26 assists for the No. 2 Celtics (30-5, 10-0) in the East Suburban Catholic.
Mother McAuley d. Lyons Township 15-4, 15-7: Megan Griffin and Maddie Barron collected eight kills apiece as No. 4 McAuley (25-5) swept. Lyons (22-11) pulled within 8-7 in Game 2, but Griffin came through with three kills as McAuley finished the match on a 7-0 run.
Lauren Bruckner led Lyons with seven kills.
St. Francis d. Aurora Central Catholic 15-1, 15-6: Lauren Beck had five kills to lead No. 3 St. Francis (32-3, 12-0) to its 12th straight Suburban Catholic championship.
Bloom d. Thornridge 15-4, 15-5: Regina Brand tallied six kills and seven aces and Kristy Grabarek contributed six kills for the Trojans (21-7, 6-4) in the SICA East.
Bradley-Bourbonnais d. Rich Central 15-4, 15-4: Ashley Smit’s six kills led the Boilermakers (25-9, 10-0) in the SICA South.
Niles West d. Maine South 15-13, 9-15, 16-14: Lara Emerson tallied 12 kills for Niles West (17-9, 6-4) in the Central Suburban South.
Sandburg d. Joliet 15-2, 15-8: Lindsay DeAdam’s five kills led the Eagles (21-12, 7-3) in the SICA West.
Shepard d. Thornton 15-6, 15-6: Tera Hendrickson’s four kills led the Astros (21-5-4, 9-1) in the SICA East.
Stevenson d. Zion-Benton 15-5, 15-5: Christine Smelle collected 13 kills and Laura Rybacki tallied 20 assists as the Patriots (23-7) won the North Suburban tournament title. Maritza Morales keyed Stevenson’s serving with 11 points in Game 1 and six straight service points in Game 2.
Christine McCarthy had 16 assists for Zion-Benton (17-9).
St. Edward d. Marian Central Catholic 15-8, 15-2: Lindsey Johnson had 10 kills for St. Edward (27-8, 12-2) in the Suburban Catholic.
Thornton Fractional South d. Hillcrest 15-12, 15-2: Becky Kobus’ 10 kills and nine blocks led the Rebels (20-9, 10-2) in the SICA Central.
Public softball semifinals
Collins 5, Hubbard 4: Senior Gregory White’s two-out single in the top of the seventh drove home Randy Sanders with the winning run for the Cobras (12-4) at at Illinois-Chicago. White was 2-for-4, while his brother Tarell went 3-for-4.
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“We’re more poised this time than last year,” said Collins coach Robert Crosby, whose team lost in the semifinals last year. “Experience was the difference. We have good senior leadership.”
Hubbard (14-2) tied the game with two runs in the bottom of the sixth, capped by Eddie Naigon’s single that scored Alfredo Galavan.
Junior pitcher Derrick Davis went the distance for Collins, giving up just four hits and two earned runs, to improve to 8-0.
Lane Tech 12, Mather 2: John Robinson doubled, homered and drove in three runs as Lane advanced to Thursday’s championship game. Robinson was also the winning pitcher. George Starvakas was 3-for-3 with two doubles and Justin Lezon drove in four for Lane.