WHEATON -- Joliet Catholic Academy coach Christine Scheibe didn't have to say much to her team as it faced elimination at match point of the second game of Thursday's Class 3A St. Francis Sectional final with the host Spartans.
With a senor-laden team that was not only top-ranked in the state and ranked high nationally, she knew all too well that the Angels would do whatever they could to keep its hopes for a state championship alive.
And that's just what happened as the Angels rallied from a 24-23 deficit in the middle game and then took an early lead and maintained it in the finale in a 20-25, 26-24, 25-22 win over second-ranked St. Francis before a sellout crowd.
As a result, JCA (38-1) collected its 19th straight victory and advances to Saturday's 4:30 p.m. Oswego Supersectional against Oak Forest, which beat Illiana Christian 25-17, 25-15 at the Crete-Monee Sectional.
It was the fifth consecutive sectional championship and sixth in seven years for the Angels, and it marked only the second time in 19 years that Peg Kopec's Spartans failed to win a sectional title.
In addition, the JCA victory balances out an intense rivalry between the two programs in which the winner has moved on in the postseason and the loser has been eliminated.
The Angels beat St. Francis in three games in last year's Oswego Supersectional after St. Francis won two-game matches the previous two years over JCA.
"I called the timeout and basically asked the seniors if they wanted this to be the last point of their high school career," Scheibe said. "They have not been a team that has quit once all season long. So I had faith that even if they lost the point they were going to fight hard for it.
"In the third game we got a lead and when that happens in a game like this you feel a little bit comfortable, but you can't be since they're such a good team. I knew that we got to a point that if we kept siding out that we would be all right, and that's what we did.
"Over the past four years we've ended up each other's seasons. They beat us the first two years and we've beaten them the past two seasons. It's quite a rivalry and I know they'll be back next year as strong as ever since Peg's a fantastic coach and their players are excellent."
St. Francis (35-3) led by two points late in the second game and took a 24-23 lead following a kill by Meg Vonderhaar.
The Spartans looked like they might wrap it up the victory with a kill by Kristen Kelsay but Lainey Wyman (7 kills, 6 blocks) halted the effort and Alyssa Warren (7 kills, 18 digs) followed with a kill that was just barely in.
Wyman then followed that point with a block to make it 25-24 and the Annemarie Hickey (17 kills, 14 digs) ended the second game with a kill.
"One of our best qualities is that we play really well under pressure and we also know how to finish and that's what we did," Wyman said. "We knew that this game was going to come no matter what so it's better to get it under our belts. We played well tonight so that paid off for us.
"We wanted to treat this like this was another game and we wanted to play our hardest since we knew that they were a good team. We stayed focused the entire time, even after we lost the first game and were losing in the second game. That's how our team is since we never give up."
With the momentum from the second game in its corner, JCA grabbed a quick lead in the finale and built it up to as many as four points.
The Angels still led 20-16 following a kill by Hickey but the Spartans managed to close to within 22-21 following a wide hit.
Another block by Wyman and a kill by Hickey put the Angels up 24-21, but the Spartans stayed alive following a net serve.
But St. Francis' hopes were dashed right after that when Gina Madonia's serve sailed long to account for the final point.
Also for JCA, Jennifer Murphy handed out 42 assists while Stephanie Keca and Katie Schoenstedt chipped in with 12 digs each.
"Beating them on their court for the sectional championship is a huge win for us," Murphy said. "They had us going in the first and second games and made us fight for it, but we pulled through in the end. We knew they were coming for us ever since we beat them last year.
"St. Francis played amazing, but we stuck with it and never gave up. After we pulled through in the second game I knew we had the momentum and that we would be in control the rest of the way. Hopefully we can keep rolling and carry this through the rest of the tournament."
The second game was a back-and-forth affair but St. Francis inched ahead late to hold a sequence of two-point advantages.
St. Francis went ahead 22-20 following a net serve, but the Angels tied it following a five-second call on a serve and then a block by Wyman.
After Vonderhaar got a kill to make it 24-23, Wyman answered with a kill to tie things back up, setting the table for the late drama.
In the opener, the Spartans jumped out to a three-point lead but JCA managed to even things at 16-16 following a kill by Hickey.
That's when St. Francis used a pair of 4-0 runs, sparked by three service points each from Kelsey Robinson and Daiva Wise, to grab a 24-17 lead.
The Angels closed to within 24-20 before Vonderhaar added another kill to give the hosts the victory in the opening game.
"It was a great match," Hickey said. "In the first two games we didn't come with that much energy and were a little tentative. But after the first game, we went in the huddle and told each other that our season wasn't over yet and we were just going to keep playing.
"After I got my first couple of kills in the third game, I kept thinking that we could do this. Lainey probably played the best game of her life and she was the best player out there. These were the two top teams so I think we have a really good chance to win state."
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