It was a confident Brother Rice team that earned its third straight trip to the state tournament Tuesday night.
The Crusaders (39-0) swept host Oak Lawn for the second time this season, this time in a 27-25, 25-17 sectional championship decision.
The match went the requisite two games, but the outcome may well have been decided late in the opener when the Crusaders successfully fought back after a late big lead turned into a one-point deficit with Oak Lawn suddenly on the verge of victory.
“I was still thinking we had it,” said junior outside hitter Kevin Padden, who shared top offensive honors with teammate Scott Manthei with nine kills.
“I trust my team a lot. We usually pull out the close ones and I figured [falling behind] was no big deal.”
Playing in front of a large, vocal crowd in a steamy Spartans gym, the Crusaders appeared in command in the opening match with a 23-18 lead.
But the Spartans put together a six-point run, including a Crusaders net error to claim a temporary 25-24 lead.
It didn’t last. Padden forced a 25-25 tie with a kill and setter Josh Scaletta followed with a tip over the net as the Crusaders regained the lead 26-25. Padden then supplied a thundering kill for the winner.
Junior outside hitter Randy Hansen paced the Spartans (31-7) with a game-high 11 kills.