Bobcats make late rally, come up short
SOMONAUK -- It was a case of too little, too late for the Somonauk volleyball team on Monday evening.
The Bobcats made a strong push late in Game 2 but couldn't separate themselves from St. Bede Academy.
The result was a 25-17, 27-25 win for the visiting Bruins.
"Volleyball comes down to momentum...who has it and who can keep it the longest," said St. Bede coach John Fusinatto. "There was really no separation by either team. It was a well fought (match)."
Momentum did play a factor, although there didn't seem to be any major momentum shifts during the match.
Instead, it was a series of three- and four- point runs that kept the Bruins ahead for the majority of the night.
St. Bede (17-10 overall) opened up a 16-10 lead in Game 1, but the Bobcats came back to make it 16-14 after consecutive aces by Tashia Warner.
The two teams traded points to make it 17-15, but St. Bede finished with an 8-2 run to take the opening game.
Game 2 started poorly for Somonauk, as Megan Johnson served two aces to give the Bruins a quick 2-0 lead.
They opened up a 10-6 lead after a Cassie Jaegle kill, but the Bobcats turned up the intensity after that.
Katie Kuykendall had a kill off a free ball, a block kill and a kill assisted by Warner during a 6-2 Somonauk run.
Lauren Gifford served two straight aces several points later to even the score at 19-19.
"We turned it on the second half of that second game," said Somonauk coach Angie Koontz. "We seem to be an either-or team. Either we're intense and bring our A-game, or we're flat and play to get by."
Somonauk (6-15) took their first lead since early in Game 1 when a St. Bede spike attempt went out of bounds. A net violation on the Bruins made it 22-20 in favor of the Bobcats.
St. Bede came back to make it 23-23, but Kuykendall had another kill off a free ball to make it 24-23.
After the two teams exchanged points, the Bruins scored three straight to seal the win. Jheri Emmerling had a block and then a kill, and Sarah Stariha (12 kills) finished off the match with a kill.
The Bruins scored several points in the late going off quick sets by Johnson (10 assists).
"If our back row is doing what they're supposed to do, we like to force the issue," said Fusinatto. "We like to run those quick (plays) as many times as we possibly can."
The quick-setting offense was at its best when Somonauk passing errors allowed the Bruins to attack.
"They don't covert a lot off of their defense," said Koontz about St. Bede. "But if you give them a free ball, they're going to take advantage of it."
Kuykendall had four kills and two block kills to lead the Bobcats. Christine Trost had 15 digs, while Paige Hochstatter added eight digs.
Hochstatter and Warner combined for eight assists.
Somonauk will play two more matches this week before starting IHSA Regional play next week.
The Bobcats will travel to Mooseheart this evening, and they will host Hampshire for senior night on Thursday.
Volleyball: St. Bede 25-27, Somonauk 17-25
