By the time volleyball teams get to Redbird Arena they don’t want to go home early.
Barrington and Normal Community will be sticking around for Saturday morning’s Class AA semifinals but that doesn’t mean they wanted to stay any more than Marian Catholic and Glenbrook South.
Barrington needed three games to eliminate Marian Catholic 15-6, 10-15, 15-6 while Normal ended unbeaten Glenbrook South’s 36-match winning streak 12-15, 15-9, 15-13 Friday.
“We just don’t want our season to ever end,” said Barrington setter Kelly Jennings, whose 34-6-1 team plays Normal at 11 a.m. “Knowing the next game could be the last game makes you push extra hard. You keep going, keep fighting.”
Barrington, which was led by sophomores Laura Holloway and Nellie Spicer with 12 and 11 kills respectively, had few problems in the first game but Marian Catholic (31-10) broke away from a 9-9 tie to win the second. The Spartans, led by Liz Kane’s 12 kills, had two three-point runs to take the match to three games.
Barrington had gone to three games in the supersectional, beating Mundelein. The Fillies jumped to a 9-1 lead in the final game and kept Marian Catholic from putting together any rallies.
The Spartans, in their first state quarterfinal appearance, were playing their 15th three-game match of the season, finishing 8-7. It was their first such match in the playoffs, and they had little left for the final game.
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“I’m really upset we lost the match but I’m really proud we got this far,” Marian Catholic coach Marilyn Akey said. “Everyone has told me that going Downstate was going to be a tremendous experience, and I can’t describe it in words. It was like a dream come true for me.”
Glenbrook South’s dream season ended, but not without a tough match. The Titans , who had a crowd matching that of Normal, won the first game for the 36th time this season.
Normal, which received a match-high 20 kills from sophomore outside hitter Breanna Leisner, outscored the Titans 8-2 down the stretch in the second game. Glenbrook South drew to 14-9 but a Leisner kill ended the game.
Glenbrook South nearly climbed out of a 9-1 hole in the third game. Behind the serving of Kirin Swanson, who had two aces in a four-point run, the Titans moved to 13-12 before Normal closed things out.
Swanson led Glenbrook South with 12 kills while teammate Beth Zande added nine. Stefanie Roof had 15 kills for Normal.
“One of the great things I love about this team is the attitude they had after that [second] game was they were still going to win it,” Glenbrook South coach Dan Schultz said.