Downers Grove South’s volleyball players show their emotions on the court. They dance, yell and scream with every kill, block and ace.
Saturday night, the Mustangs found themselves in a serious situation. It was time to quit styling and focus on the pursuit of their third Class AA state championship. Getting down to business, Downers South came back from deficits of 8-3 and 11-8 in the second game to defeat Barrington 15-13, 15-11 for the title.
“We always have fun, but you have to be serious too,” said Mustangs senior All-Stater Meghan Macdonald, who had a match-high 11 kills. “If you get to a third game, you never know what could happen.”
Top-ranked Downers South erased the 11-8 margin with four straight points with defensive specialist Annie Mastandrea at the serving line. Mastandrea came up with a pair of aces that helped swing the momentum back to Downers.
“Coach [Denise Lazzeroni Kavanaugh] tells me where to serve and I pray to God it goes there,” said Mastandrea, a junior. “I was sitting on the bench saying, ‘I know we can do this, I know we can win.’
“I was going to do everything in my power to bring us a championship.”
Barrington kept Downers South (38-4) from another title match two years ago whe the Fillies upset the Mustangs in the semifinals. It was the Fillies’ only previous finals appearance, and current seniors Kelly Jennings and Katie Esbrook were on that team.
The Fillies (35-7-1) played most of the match with setter Jennings limping from a leg injury she sustained in a collision with teammate Mariya Land. Even so, Barrington made every point a struggle for Downers. The Fillies got 10 kills from Esbrook, and eight and six, respectively, from sophomores Laura Holloway and Nellie Spicer.
“Kelly Jennings is the heart of this team,” Barrington coach Karen Traub said. “When she’s not [able to go] at full power, it really effects everyone else.”
Downers setter Jackie Simpson, who replaced graduated two-time all-stater Shannon Parker, went to Macdonald at some crucial points in the match. Simpson also had six kills of her own using a dump shot that Parker taught her for momentum-killing sideouts.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” said Simpson, a junior. “It doesn’t get any better than this.”