JCA's Wyman, Warren step to the fore

WHEATON — With the season on the line, Joliet Catholic Academy volleyball coach Christine Scheibe had the presence to look at senior leader Annemarie Hickey for some guidance.

The Angels dropped Game 1 in a fierce battle with rival Wheaton St. Francis and trailed 24-23 in the second game of Tuesday’s 3A sectional championship match at St. Francis’ Spyglass Athletic Center, the roar of a standing-room-only crowd making it nearly impossible for Scheibe to hear herself think, let alone communicate with her players on the floor.

The Spartans needed one more point to the win the match. It was No. 1 vs. No. 2 and they were rising to the occasion in a state championship-like atmosphere.

“I had a timeout left, and I didn’t know if they wanted me to call it or not. And I looked at Annemarie and she went like this,” Scheibe said, forming a “T” with her two hands. “So, I said, ‘OK, we’ll call the timeout.’ It was just basically a conversation — nothing technical — about the situation. ‘Do you want this to be the last point of your high school career?’

“They went out there — I don’t think any of them wanted to be the one to make the mistake. And, so, they were all playing hard and not letting that ball hit the floor.”

St. Francis’ Kristen Kelsay went up at the net in a bid to stuff the Angels. She put two hands on the ball. For an instant, it appeared headed to the floor. The Spartans’ student body was so sure it was going down, in fact, a few of their more boisterous fans jumped from the bleachers and started to rush the court in celebration.

Lainey Wyman, JCA’s 6-2 junior middle hitter, threw out one of her great big paws and somehow kept the play and the Angels’ hopes of winning back-to-back state titles alive. Alyssa Warren followed with an arching kill shot that dropped in the back right corner, tying the score 24-24.

Then, moments later, as if suddenly re-energized, Hickey’s kill shot capped a miraculous rally that saw JCA take the second game. And, in Game 3, Hickey caught fire as the Angels took the match in three games 20-25, 26-24, 25-22. She finished with 17 kills and 14 digs.

Wyman graded an “A” for her execution on “D” play — that’s what she calls the slide-step maneuver she used to confound the Spartans. She finished the match of her life with 7 kills and 6 blocks, many of her attack points coming off a move where she slides to the right side and hits the ball back across the court.

“Once we started getting it down and I kept getting kills, she kept giving it to me,” Wyman said of the feeds sent her way by JCA setter Jenn Murphy. “It was working, so we kept doing it. We’ve always run that play all year. I go deep.

“I call it a ‘D’ because the middle front is A. Out there is B. Right behind it is C and further behind that is D.”

Warren’s defense likewise was pivotal in a match where St. Francis brought out some of the state’s top guns, 6-1 senior outside hitter Kelsey Robinson standing at the head of the line. Robinson pounded her share of balls down, all right. She’s going to do that.

She’s headed to Tennessee for a reason.

Warren dug more than a few up, finishing with a team-high 18 digs. She also had 7 kills. None of those kills was bigger than the JCA season-saver.

“Lainey dug it into the net, and then I just popped it over the net,” Warren said. “Basically, what I said was that helped our momentum a lot. We would have lost the (match) after that point. I just went for the ball so we could get it over and win the game.

“It was definitely instinct. I was just going for every ball I could. And, Lainey, I think one of the reasons she had such a strong match is she knows this is the last season she’s going to play with us. She’s really enjoyed playing with us. And she also plays really well in high-level matches.”

They don’t get any higher than JCA vs. Wheaton St. Francis. The two powers met for the fourth time in the postseason in the last four years. The Angels (38-1) evened their record in those matches at 2-2. And they bested the Spartans on their own floor, no small feat.

“I thought it was a great night for volleyball,” St. Francis coach Peg Kopec said. “Both teams played very well. The fans got their money’s worth and more.”

JCA moves on to play Oak Forest at 4:30 p.m. Saturday in the Oswego Supersectional. The Angels need three more victories to win their second straight state championship and third since 2003. And they’re digging the thought of another joyride.

Literally.

“They pride themselves on playing defense,” Scheibe said. “And they do it well most of the time. Sometimes, it’s just not doable when you’ve got Kelsey Robinson on the other side hitting bullets at you. You’ve got to give her credit where it’s due, too.”

Wyman and Warren rate extra credit.