NORMAL — St. Charles East’s Kate Goudreau, the senior outside hitter who doesn’t plan on playing in college, proved Friday night that she belonged with the best of the best.
Even with plenty of star power on the court in the Class 4A state semifinals against stalwart Mother McAuley, Goudreau delivered a captivating performance for the Saints.
One person wasn’t surprised at all.
“That’s how Kate’s been all season,” St. Charles East coach Jennie Kull said. “She’s the real deal. She has a heavy arm and she’s able to move the ball around, make different shots.
“She’s just great.”
Great Goudreau, indeed. She put down 20 kills and added 12 digs as the Saints took the Mighty Macs to the brink in a 25-27, 25-17, 25-20 loss at Illinois State’s Redbird Arena.
Lexi Crossen complemented Goudreau with nine kills, while fellow senior Lia Schneider starred at libero with 19 digs and junior setter Sarah Musial contributed 26 assists.
While McAuley (38-3) rallied to advance to the state title match against Benet (37-4), St. Charles East (33-8) faces Barrington (39-2) for third place at 7:25 p.m. Saturday.
For Goudreau, it was business as usual.
“It’s probably the best I’ve ever played and it’s my last year, so it’s pretty exciting to have a good last year,” Goudreau said. “I’m happy with how it’s all been going.”
Things looked bleak early Friday for the Saints as McAuley (38-3) jumped out to a 9-1 lead in the first game.
“I think you come in for the first time in this big environment and you’re thinking, ‘Oh my goodness,'” Kull said. “It was overwhelming. I know McAuley has been here many times before, and this is the first time these guys have really been here.
“Once they settled in, we always talk about playing point for point. We started chipping away.”
Goudreau delivered eight kills as the Saints battled back to force a 22-22 tie. St. Charles East led only once at 24-23 before winning the final two points of the game.
“It was not a great start, but we knew there was nothing we could do about it at that point,” Goudreau said. “We just had to keep fighting and give it our all “
McAuley forced a third game with a 25-17 win. St. Charles East then took a 17-13 lead, but service errors and hitting errors kept the Mighty Macs in the match.
The Saints had six service errors in the third game.
“I think it’s called serving,” Kull said. “I think if you miss six serves, you probably are going to have a difficult time winning a game. They were trying to be aggressive.
“I get it, but we just needed to keep those serves in.”
McAuley battled back to take a 19-18 lead. A disputed call went against the Saints on the next point, and the Mighty Macs rolled from there.
Michigan recruit Ellie White powered four of her match-high 23 kills down the stretch to clinch the win.
The two teams didn’t face each other during the regular season, but both played at the Asics Challenge, a tournament host by the Mighty Macs, and at Autumnfest.
McAuley coach Jen DeJarld came away impressed with the Saints.
“They had an amazing block,” DeJarld said. “Their libero was digging everything. It’s the best I’ve seen them play. I just think they’re a team that’s gotten better each week throughout the season.”
Afterward, Kull looked back to the joy the team displayed during the improbable comeback in the first game.
“They just play for each other,” Kull said. “If it could have ended there, it would have been perfect. The way they played that game and came back was the team I know.”
Kull wraps up her St. Charles East coaching career Saturday night with a shot at a third-place trophy.
“It’s a fairy tale ending for sure,” Kull said. “These kids have worked really hard to get the seniors here and get me here. I couldn’t be more thankful to this group of girls.
“They’re the ones that really made this happen.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.