By Phil Brozynski
Illprepvb.com Editor
All streaks must come to an end, eventually.
Just not this Thursday.
Benet Academy extended its regional championship streak to 19 on Thursday at Naperville Central, bouncing back after squandering an 11-6 lead in the second set to beat the host Redhawks, 25-17, 19-25, 25-20.
Benet (27-10 overall, 5-1 Girls Catholic Athletic Conference Red) advances to the Class 4A Glenbard West Sectional, where the Redwings will meet Downers Grove North at 7:00 p.m. Tuesday.
The three-set finish was nothing new for Benet Academy.
“We played three sets a lot this year,” said Benet Academy coach Brad Baker. “Everyone paid their ticket price. Might as well give them their money’s worth.”
Baker said those matches have prepared his team for moments like Thursday’s third set.
“We like to score points, score a lot of them. I keep track. We’ve probably had the most points scored in the state, and you have to count the ones we score for the other team, too,” he said with a laugh.
“We’ve played a lot of three-setters, and our kids are used to being in those moments. We do a lot of games in practice where we try to put them in these situations. You never know how people are going to react, but tonight they reacted really well.”
As for 19 straight regional titles?
“Nineteen in a row means we’re all probably pretty old,” Baker said.
After Naperville Central evened the match, Benet Academy’s 6-1 senior middle hitter Sophia Youssef made sure the Redwings didn’t dwell on the second set.
“After the second set, in the huddle, I was just saying, ‘We’re not ending our season here, not on their home court with them winning,’” Youssef said. “I didn’t want that, and I don’t think anybody else did. Let’s just forget about it and walk into the next set with a chip on our shoulder.
“It happened, but we’re not thinking about it,” she said. “Let’s just go win.”
Youssef, a Washington University in St. Louis recruit, is a setter by trade but plays middle for Benet Academy out of necessity. She finished with 8 kills and 2 blocks.
“Sophia’s been our most consistent attacker, and she doesn’t even play the position,” Baker said. “When we tell people she’s a setter, they’re like, ‘Are you sure?’ She’s really talented.
“Last year when I asked her to do it, she went all in,” he added. “When you’re asked to change positions, you either do it or you don’t, and she has. It’s a credit to her and how hard she’s worked and how much she’s listened. She’s really fun to work with.”
Youssef said she has embraced the switch.
“Honestly, I kind of love it. I’m not going to lie,” she said. “It’s fresh, it’s new, it gives me a chance to step out of my comfort zone and try something new. When I was younger, I played all six rotations, right side and setter. I’ve always loved hitting.”
She also felt the weight of the streak.
“This is my senior year, and personally, I didn’t want to end it with a regional loss,” Youssef said. “I want to keep the tradition going. I don’t want to be the one to end this, so I was doing everything I could to make sure we won this game.
“We take one game at a time, so it’s more like, let’s just take this step by step and move on to the next step.”
Sophomores Linden Stritch and Elizabeth Rifenburg joined Youssef with 8 kills each, and Rifenburg added 2 blocks. Freshman Kyler Smith had 6 kills, and sophomore Dina DiSanto added 4 kills and 4 aces. Madeline Bryant finished with 28 assists, and Kate Chvatal served 3 aces.
Junior Suzie Holloway led Naperville Central (27-9 overall, 7-3 in the DuPage Valley Conference) with 9 kills and 2 blocks. Annabelle Kreitzer had 8 kills, Olivia Monteith added 7, and Mila Norkett had 5 kills and 2 aces. Mia Bondi had 14 assists and Alexa Novak had 11.
Novak said the Redhawks embraced the underdog role.
“We knew that we were the underdog, and we had to leave it all on the court, get every ball up and put every ball down,” she said. “Our mindset going in was to fight for our teammates, try to avenge our loss (to Benet at Autumnfest) and try to win a regional.
“I think we did really well coming close to that,” she added. “We played really well overall. I’m really proud of everybody.”
She said the season meant a lot to the group.
“It’s been really fun. It’s a great group of girls,” Novak said. “We all work together really well, and I think we have worked really hard to get to this point. We fought really hard for each other.”