According to Marist coach Jordan Vidovic, game time isn’t the only time that RedHawks defensive specialist Natalie Davidson leaves it all on the court.
“She’s one of our most intense practice players,” Vidovic said. “Natalie brings an awesome intensity to every scrimmage situation and every 6-on-6 we have in practice. She’s fully ready for games where there is an intense environment and a big crowd.”
Davidson was up to the task Tuesday at Joliet Catholic in Marist’s 25-19, 25-21 East Suburban Catholic victory.
The 5-foot-3 senior led the way on defense with 15 digs for the RedHawks (24-1, 4-0). Savannah Thompson added 15 kills and eight digs, while Molly Murrihy contributed 25 assists and three blocks.
For Joliet Catholic (19-6, 3-2), Emily Holbrook had eight kills, Sarah Nahas added 12 assists and six digs, and Macaire Kelley made 12 digs.
The RedHawks avoided a letdown after a grueling previous week. They beat Joliet Catholic in three in the ASICS Challenge title match, and defeated Kentucky powerhouses Assumption and Notre Dame as well as Lincoln-Way East.
“It’s super fun,” Davidson said. “We love it. We take it in and enjoy it. We use that positive energy as kind of a motivation. That’s what drives us.
“I just went in there, did my job and came out. We went to the gym from over the weekend and kind of grinded hard. I knew from Saturday what I was expecting, and I just tried to do the little things better.”
Marist had breakaways in both games to put Joliet Catholic away in two straight.
It was 15-13 RedHawks in Game 1 when Maggie Meyer put down a kill, then went to the service line and produced four more points.
In Game 2, the Angels led 16-15 when Meyer put down a blast from the left side. Again, Meyer was at the service line when Thompson went back-to-back-to-back with kills. Thompson added two more kills, the last good for match point.
No ASICS Challenge hangover for Marist.
“Oh, no,” Thompson said, laughing. “We came in really prepared for this. We learned a lot over the weekend, and we wanted to focus on doing what we did on Saturday.”
A large and vocal Angels student section didn’t throw her off, either.
“I personally enjoy it and I think the team does,” Thompson said. “Yeah, you focus on yourself, but it’s always good to have that energy in the gym to boost your team’s confidence. I think it worked for us.”
More Top Picks Best Golf Balls For High Handicappers
Joliet Catholic’s best stretch came midway through Game 2, when Emily Wilson landed back-to-back aces during a 5-point run that put them up 11-7.
Their own previous weekend of tough matches might have caught up to them, according to Angels coach Christine Scheibe.
“After the weekend where we really excelled, it was hard to turn around and play that same team on Tuesday,” Scheibe said. “I thought we were very competitive with them, we just weren’t able to get over the hump of their athleticism and size.
“It’s hard to go up against that game after game. And when we’re not passing as well as we should, it makes it harder on us also and puts us in bad positions.”
Twitter @tbaranek