St. Bede sophomore Kijah Lucas slammed down a thunderous kill then let out a celebratory yell as her teammates leapt and cheered around her.

Lucas’ kill put the finishing touches on an 18-25, 25-21, 25-19 victory over Henry-Senachwine in a Tri-County Conference match in Henry.

“I think this is the best we’ve played all season,” St. Bede coach Nicole Trenka said.

The victory puts the Bruins in position to share the conference title with Seneca, which finishes 8-1 in the league. St. Bede (16-12-1) is 7-1 entering its regular season finale Thursday against Midland.

“We’ve really been pushing,” Trenka said. “I’m glad it’s all coming together. It means a lot to me that they’re putting in all the effort and we have a shot at it.”

The win also gives the Bruins momentum entering the postseason next week where they could potentially see the Mallards again in the Class 1A Putnam County Regional championship.

“We’ve worked so hard this year to make sure we have what we need to be a team that can go somewhere because we have so much talent,” St. Bede senior Jillian Pinter said. “Being able to see it all put together like this was really amazing for us.”

The Mallards, who won a regional title last year, finish the regular season 29-5 overall and 7-2 in the conference. Henry won the conference tournament.

“They have played really well together all season,” Henry coach Hope Vinson said. “Their communication is great. They’re able to put some really hard balls down. We’ve got some really aggressive servers. We just need all those pieces to fall into place. They’re able to do that most of the time and I think they’ll bounce back.”

The first set was tight throughout until the Mallards closed on a 7-2 run. Harper Schrock had two kills in the final three points around a Brynna Anderson tip.

Henry started strong in the second set and built a 12-7 lead, but the Bruins went on a seven-point run to take the lead for good.

“They came out with a lot of energy,” Vinson said. “They’re excited. It’s their senior night. They came out and played together. They were able to put some stuff down before St. Bede’s block got a little bit stronger. I think coming out faster in that first set made us more successful.

“I think they got a little tired (in the second set). St. Bede was definitely making us work in the back row and the block, so everyone was moving a lot. They just weren’t able to stay as calm as we needed to be to make the play.”

Pinter had two kills and two blocks during St. Bede’s momentum-shifting run. She finished with five kills and four blocks. Lucas had nine kills and three blocks, Nelle Potthoff had five kills and Hanna Waszkowiak had three blocks.

“We’ve been working on blocking a lot,” Trenka said. “We were kind of laughing on the bench, we were like, ‘Wow, that blocking practice is worth it.’ We have a strong blocking team. We just haven’t been able to put all the pieces together when it comes to blocking. This game, I feel like it finally just meshed.”

The third set was tight throughout with neither team leading by more than three until an ace by Ava Balestri gave St. Bede an 18-14 lead.

Henry pulled within 18-17 before a kill by Pinter and back-to-back aces by Potthoff pushed St. Bede’s lead to 21-17. Henry never got closer than three again and the Bruins finished the win with Lucas’ big kill.

“(I think this win is a confidence booster) because you hear about Henry and how they’re this powerhouse of a team,” Pinter said. “Knowing we are able to come here and compete with such an energetic team is really important for us, especially to know that if we do meet them in regionals it is an accomplishable goal.”

For Henry, Schrock had 12 kills and two blocks, Taylor Frawley had 17 digs, Anderson had 11 digs, seven kills and seven assists, Brooklynn Thompson had 15 digs, 10 points, four aces and eight kills and Rachel Eckert added 14 assists and four digs.

The Mallards celebrated seniors Frawley, Eckert, Schrock, Thompson, Maya Johnson, Mazie Koll and Alison Mitchell.

“They’re going to be missed,” Vinson said. “It’s a good group of girls. Most of them have been playing since second grade. I think my favorite part of the season so far has been watching them with the younger girls and seeing that legacy they’re leaving the program. I’m really excited to see how they finish off.”

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Members of the St. Bede volleyball team react after pulling off a upset over Henry-Senachwine on Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025 at Henry-Senachwine High School. (Scott Anderson)