LOCKPORT -- Benet, the top-seed in the Lockport Sectional was stretched by Downers Grove North in Tuesday's sectional semifinals, but the Redwings survived to play another day.
The Redwings (34-4), who won a three-setter 25-18, 23-25, 25-19 will play in Thursday's final against second-seeded Hinsdale Central (33-5), which rode an acrobatic defense and consistent deep hitting to eliminate Naperville North 25-16, 25-22.
"A tough three-set match is good at this point in the season," Benet coach Brad Baker said. "Because it keeps you sharp and you get to know how it feels to play in these matches."
But in the second set the Trojans (27-11) caught fire and dominated the long rallies for the victory.
It was a close game throughout with nobody getting more than a three-point lead.
In Set 3, Benet received an outstanding performance from sophomore middle hitter Meghan Haggerty who had six kills and seven blocks.
Haggerty stepped up really big at the beginning of the set, when the Redwings trailed 6-3. Her two kills and two blocks accounted for Benet's offense as they tied it at seven and never trailed the rest of the way.
"It feels really good to help turn the game around," Haggerty said. "On free balls, we get the ball to the middles because the other team doesn't expect it. It felt good to get on a roll in that third game."
Downers Grove North stayed close until the 12-11 mark, but then Benet was able to gain some separation.
Gina Finke led Benet with 10 kills, Sierra Young put down eight and Lara Ontko came up big throughout the match and finished with seven kills. Brianne Riley led with 22 digs and Kaitlyn King had 27 assists.
Britta Baarstad led Downers North with 13 kills.
In the second match, the Red Devils broke on top 14-7 as they were sparked by stellar defense, and some excellently placed balls that found the floor deep on the other side, often just inside the endline.
"We weren't disciplined on defense and that hurt us in the first game," Naperville North coach Jen Urban said. "But we showed a lot of resilience in the second game. We were finding ways to win the long rallies and stay in the match. It wasn't our best volleyball, but we kept fighting the whole match and I'm proud of that."
Audrey Wilson led the Huskies with eight kills. Catie Cremin had 15 digs and Carly Warner had 13 digs.
Melissa Marcucci had eight kills and Ally Davis had six kills and three blocks for the Red Devils, while Natalia Skiba had 14 digs and Jamie Netisingha had 13 digs.
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