At the Mother McAuley Invite on Sept. 19, Nazareth edged then-undefeated St. Ignatius.
In the East Suburban Catholic Conference, the Roadrunners gained experience through playing teams such as IHSA Class 3A state-qualifier Joliet Catholic.
Two sets of occurrences that Nazareth girl’s volleyball coach Wayne Saunders believes aided his team to their first-ever appearance in a supersectional Saturday.
And although the Roadrunners fell one step short of qualifying for this weekend’s state tournament, they still made strides as a program.
Nazareth won their first-ever sectional championship with a 25-21, 25-20 win over Payton Thursday on the Roadrunners’ home court. The historic win ended with a 25-13, 15-25, 13-25 loss to Crystal Lake Central at the Grayslake Central supersectional on Saturday.
Nazareth ended 2009 with a 29-11 overall record and a seventh-place finish in the ESCC standings. League opponents Benet, Fenwick, Joliet Catholic, Marist and St. Viator all won regional titles.
“We played well against the top teams in our conference,” Saunders said. “When you play somebody like a Joliet Catholic, nothing else can intimidate you.”
Which was the case for the Roadrunners when they captured Game 1 against Crystal Lake Central. However, Nazareth was unable to maintain that momentum.
“We were firing on all cylinders in Game 1,” Saunders said. “We just couldn’t sustain our aggressiveness. We stopped playing the way we were earlier. The fact that we made it this far was the high point of the season.”
Saunders credited senior leadership as another factor for the 2009 success. Saunders said setter Jill Paluch and defensive specialist/outside hitter Jennifer Milligan, who both play for the 1st Alliance Volleyball Club, helped bring the team along. Outside hitter Jane Schiffler and defensive specialist Lauren Schick provided positive support.
Next season’s starting nucleus will feature middle hitter Kirsten Pope, middle hitter Ana Vrhel, outside hitter Colleen McCollom and setter/right side hitter Brittany Brown.
“We don’t want to come in next year and take a step back,” Saunders said. “Hopefully, our maturity and confidence will continue to grow.”
Sectional final stats
Brittany Brown 9 kills
Colleen McCollom 7 kills
Jane Schiffler 4 kills
Kristen Pope 2 kills, 1 block
Ana Vrhel 2 kills
Jill Paluch 1 kill, 1 ace, 26 assists
