Benet junior Audrey Asleson was at a loss to explain the sensational performances that she and her twin sister, Morgan, turned in Thursday.
Maybe, she speculated, it was the car ride to the gym. Morgan Asleson drove. There was music and conversation, although neither could remember what was playing or what was said.
In a way, the lack of detail was understandable, considering that all anyone could talk about was how the Aslesons played in the Class 4A Benet Regional championship match.
“We came out really excited to play tonight,” Morgan Asleson said. “We knew what we had to do to win, so there was no messing around.”
No, there wasn’t. Audrey Asleson began the match with a kill and just kept firing away, leading all players with 12 kills, and Morgan Asleson had a match-high nine service points to go with five digs as the top-seeded Redwings defeated seventh-seeded Naperville North 25-17, 25-12 for their 16th consecutive regional title.
Benet (35-2), which extended its winning streak to 16, will play fourth-seeded Wheaton Warrenville South (23-13) in the St. Charles North Sectional semifinals at 6 p.m. Monday.
“We see it all the time from them,” Benet coach Brad Baker said of the Asleson sisters. “You don’t get to where we are if kids aren’t playing well consistently.
“Those two kids have been playing consistently well all season.”
But perhaps never as well as they did against the Huskies (21-16). Baker switched Audrey Asleson, a Colorado commit, from setter to outside hitter at the start of the season. The transition wasn’t easy, but she has gotten increasingly comfortable — and more powerful — as the season has gone on.
“I’ve definitely made some strides throughout the season,” Audrey Asleson said. “(The Redwings) have been super supportive, but I’ve definitely seen some improvement.”
She had eight kills in the first set. Five of them came after the Huskies cut Benet’s 12-5 lead to one on a five-point serving run by senior outside hitter Sydney Kushner.
“I just told myself that I had to step it up,” Audrey Asleson said. “I just knew that I had to hold myself to a higher standard. Last game wasn’t my best, and I knew these games were really important. We should all be going all out, so that’s what I tried to do tonight.”
While Audrey Asleson was wreaking havoc at the net, Morgan Asleson was making an impact with her serving. The Dayton-bound defensive specialist ran off six straight points to bump Benet’s lead back up to 21-13.
Morgan Asleson began the second set with three consecutive points, with 6-foot-5 sophomore middle Lynney Tarnow accounting for two of them with a tip and a kill. Tarnow finished with seven kills, while Yale-bound junior middle Gabby Stasys added four kills, as did sophomore setter Ellie Stiernagle, who had 20 assists. Indiana-bound junior libero Aniya Warren made 17 digs.
The Aslesons rotated out with Benet ahead 9-4, a lead that eventually grew to 15-5. They went directly to the water cooler for a well-deserved drink.
“Audrey works hard at everything she does, including (hitting),” Baker said. “She’s really taking it seriously this year, and it showed tonight.”
Seniors Leah Norris and Liz Rossi combined for nine kills for Naperville North, which was eliminated by Benet for the second straight season.
“I was very proud of the girls,” Naperville North coach Jennifer Urban said. “I thought we were doing things in this match that we haven’t done all year. Our defense was great. We finished the last two weeks playing our best volleyball of the season.”
But the Aslesons weren’t about to let their season end.
“We’ve been here for two years now, and we know what it’s like to lose in the state run, especially last year,” Audrey Asleson said. “We really wanted to come out this year and give it our all.”
Morgan Asleson said doing so with her sister doubled the pleasure of winning, a feeling that never gets old.
“It’s really exciting,” Morgan Asleson said. “I don’t think many twins get to experience that, so it’s really fun to be on the court with her. We’ve always been on the same team, so we’ve been used to it.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.