York comeback shocks Vikings
GENEVA -- After the first game of the Class 4A Geneva Sectional matchup between the host Vikings and York, it appeared Geneva and star outside hitter Lauren Wicinski were headed for a tussle with defending state champion St. Charles East in the sectional final.
But the No. 3 seed Dukes had other ideas. Thanks to a change in blocking assignments and a lot of enthusiastic play, York rallied to stun the second-seeded Vikings 19-25, 25-16, 25-16. It will be the Dukes who will take a shot at St. Charles East, which eliminated rival St. Charles North 25-16, 25-17 in the opener.
York's triumph marked a sudden end to the career of NIU-bound Wicinski, Kelsey Augustine, and seven other seniors who finished their season at 35-3. But they will remember the Dukes, who knocked Geneva out in the regional final in 2007 and the sectional semifinal last season.
If there was a turning point in York's comeback, it was the way they jumped off to big leads in Games 2 and 3. The Dukes made few errors in establishing a 10-4 lead in the second game behind senior Lauren Zerante (13 kills). The Vikings put several balls in the net or out during that stretch, but the Dukes were solid.
Wicinski, who was outstanding with 18 kills and 15 digs, tried to keep Geneva close. She had kills on three straight Vikings points, but the third only narrowed the gap to 18-10. On game point, Claire Gribinski recorded one of her four blocks on Wicinski's shot to force a third game.
"We were a little off on our serve-receive, which has really been a strength for us this season," Geneva coach K.C. Johnsen said. "And they blocked us better than we're used to being blocked. (York) really had momentum in the last two games. Our girls kept fighting and brought some momentum back, but we couldn't keep it."
York (28-8) again got off to a great start in the third game, going on an early 7-0 run with two aces by Caroline Rose, who also had six kills. The Vikings closed to within 8-5 and 13-9 on kills by Wicinski and Katie Sommer, but a pair of blocks by Grabinski helped the Dukes widen the lead to 19-10. Wicinski got three more kills down the stretch, but York's defense was simply too strong to allow Geneva back into the game.
"We flip-flopped to allow Caroline to go against an easier blocker," York coach Patty Iverson said. "And we adjusted our double-team on (Wicinski) and moved our back-line defense to try to get some digs. Also, sometimes it takes our players a little while to get going."
The Vikings got off to a 12-5 lead in the opener, with the power game of Wicinski, Augustine (nine kills), and Sommer working well. The Dukes rallied to tie at 14-all and were again deadlocked at 18-18 before the Vikings finished the game with a 7-1 surge.
"I have to give a ton of credit to York for how well they played," Johnsen said. "Lauren has been as good as anybody I've ever been involved with. And our senior class is definitely the best we've ever had at Geneva."
