Spartans bound for state volleyball Final Four

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STERLING – The ball was floating softly through the air toward the Sycamore side of the net.

Jill Johnson knew what she had to do. She waited, elevated and slammed the ball into an empty corner, setting off a celebration that included plenty of hugs, screams and ecstatic laughter.

It was a night when everything went right for Johnson and the Spartans, and after dismantling Normal University High 25-14, 25-12 on Saturday night in the Class 3A Sterling Super-Sectional, the Spartans are headed to their second state final four in the past three seasons.

"Everything just went really right for us," Johnson said. "We've been playing together so well."

Johnson, the Spartans' (34-6) setter, isn't supposed to be putting the ball away on kills much. But against the Pioneers (32-7) she found holes in the defense often, surprising them by setting the ball over the net into an open area instead of to a teammate several times for points.

"On every rotation she knew something she could do to score every time," Sycamore coach Debbie Klock said. "That's all she had to remember, six things that were the key to every matchup.

"I think it's her confidence."

The offense was just as diverse as ever with Johnson finishing with 24 assists and a team-high six kills. Stephanie Huber, Evyn McCoy and Brittany Olson all finished with five kills apiece.

"We played together, we executed and we just played well all around," Johnson said. "They would feed it to me and I would see a hole and take advantage."

Sycamore's main concern coming into the match was the combination of Pioneers junior outside hitter Valerie Nichol, a Purdue recruit, and senior setter Maggie Bee.

The Spartans set up their block to keep the ball away from Nichol as much as possible. Then, when Nichols' teammates were set, Sycamore libero Justine Schepler and fellow senior Sarah Verkler were there to get the digs to keep the ball alive.

Schepler made several diving stops and finished with 17 digs while Verkler had 12. The Spartans held Nichol to six kills.

Now the Spartans will head to the state final four, where they will meet the winner of Breese Mater Dei – who beat Champaign Centennial 25-19, 25-15 – at 4:30 p.m. next Friday at Redbird Arena.

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