Missing out on winning regional championships a year ago, the Macomb High and Pleasant Plains volleyball squads took aim for different results Oct. 30 at The Hangar.
Squaring off in an Illinois High School Association Class 2A Regional final, the higher-seeded Cardinals flew away with a 25-19, 25-21 victory.
Pleasant Plains, the No. 2 sub-sectional seed, improved to 24-12 on the season. Macomb, the No. 3 seed, saw its season end with a final record of 21-15.
Both teams were attempting to capture their fourth regional title in the past five seasons.
A year ago, the Bombers lost to Tremont 25-22, 25-23 in the title contest at Farmington to finish with a record of 31-5.
Meanwhile, the Cardinals lost to host Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin 25-17, 25-13, finishing with a final record of 22-16.
“I knew coming to Macomb and playing them on their home court was going to be a challenge,” said Pleasant Plains coach Denise Cook. “We were just really determined.”
Pleasant Plains scored the opening three points of the match before Macomb tallied the next five points, four coming on Jersee Mills’s serve. The run included a service ace, a Jordan Hines tip for kill and a Cadence Hotz block.
A Claire Burke kill knotted the set at 5-5 before a service error and a hitting error gave the Bombers the lead.
But at 13-11, a Willow Milkint kill started a fourpoint run that gave the Cardinals a lasting lead.
“Pleasant Plains is good. “They’re big. They execute well,” said MHS coach Hillary Humes. “We knew they were going to be big and take some really good swings. But if we could pick up some of the tips and rolls they sent our way, we could contain that. But we didn’t pick up as many (as we needed).”
“If we could’ve maybe converted a few more free balls and tips, we could’ve gotten a string of points. We just couldn’t get more than 2-3 points at a time,” she added.
“We had a gameplan and we executed it well,” said Humes. “Then (Pleasant Plains) would respond in ernest as well. That’s the way the game is. We just didn’t adjust as fast as they did.”
“(We were) paying attention to what they ran offensively out of their serve-receive, then try to scout and think about what we needed to do to take them out of their game,” said Cook. “We really did a great job of sticking to that gameplan.”
In set two, a block by Mills, a kill by Hines and a service ace by Sophie Wilson helped the Bombers build a 10-6 lead.
But following a Pleasant Plains timeout, the Cardinals answered with the next five points, four on the serve of Emma Sabatka.
The teams traded points that led to eight ties. But at 18-18, a tip kill by Burke started a decisive three-point run for the Cardinals.
Milkint tallied three kills in the final points as the Cardinals completed the sweep.
“Our thing all season has been the small points, the smallest plays that make the biggest impact,” said Humes. “When you let all those easier balls drop, it makes it harder than when they really get going and take those big swings.”
“You’re so focused with their big offense and their big blocks that it left a blind spot,” she added. “You’re back ready to absorb that big hit and then the tips and rolls get us caught back on our heels.”
“We talk constantly about defense is where we get it done,” said Cook. “The defense turns into a great offensive play. We just focus on transitioning from defense to offense so that we’re hitting right back at them. We don’t want to ever settle for a free ball if we don’t have to out of defense.”
“Our block was fair and we had great digs in the back,” said Cook. “We were really doing the things well that we really value in our gym.”
Hines had seven kills, three blocks and 11 digs for the Bombers.
“Jo had a good night,” said Humes of Hines. “I felt like we couldn’t get her set enough.”
“That was the goal. we really wanted to try to push up on (Hines) early and not let her get going with some of her big swings,” said Cook. “I feel like we did that, but she still had great swings and great moments to get her team going.”
Mills added four kills, followed by Addy Fox with three and Dakota Thorman and Cadence Hotz with two apiece.
“They blocked us a few times, but I thought for the most part we handled it well,” said Humes.
Thorman and Hotz also added six blocks each, while Wilson, Fox and Mills added one apiece.
Wilson also handed out 17 set assists.
Emily Westerhold finished with 13 digs, followed by Wilson with eight and Mills with six. Jordyn Shoopman, Hotz and Fox added two each with Reagan Knowles chipping in one.
Wilson, Shoopman, Knowles and Mills each recorded one service ace.
Next year’s squad will have a much different look as Fox, Ella Hare, Hines, Hotz, Shoopman, Thorman, Westerhold and Wilson will graduate next spring.
“I’m so proud of them,” said Humes of the seniors. “A lot of people counted them out before the season. Twenty one wins is a great season. They should be proud of the fight and what they accomplished this season.”
“The seniors led in the gym and demonstrated how you don’t give up,” she added. “They left a good impact on the upcoming programs we have.”
The sectional schedule at Beardstown is as follows (in parentheses are sub-sectional seeds before the school name and season records following): Tuesday
Match 1 – (1) Quincy Notre Dame (27-8) vs. (2) Staunton (24-12), 6 p.m.
Match 2 – (1) Rochester (27-8) vs. (2) Pleasant Plains (24-12), 7 p.m.
Thursday
Match 3 – Winner Match 1 vs. Winner Match 2, 6 p.m.
The sectional champion advances to the Nov. 10 supersectional at Vandalia.
