Volleyball: Rock Falls tops Fieldcrest, advances to sectional finals

PRINCETON – Sheila Pillars’ retirement will have to wait a couple of more weeks if her Rock Falls ’ girls volleyball team has anything to do with it.

The Rockets extended the longtime coach’s career for another night by defeating Fieldcrest 25-16, 25-12 in the Class 2A Princeton Sectional on Monday night at Prouty Gym.

Pillars will retire at season’s end, her 26th season at the helm. But first, the Rockets will face IVC (27-10) at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the sectional final.

IVC, a defending sectional champion, beat Three Rivers West champion Orion 25-21, 25-23 in Monday’s second semifinal.

“I want to go as long as I can. I’ve got two [more] games this week and two games next week, hopefully. That would be amazing. But we’re all just taking it one game at a time,” Pillars said. “I love the group I have right now, especially my seniors. I’ve been with them for a long time. A lot of them I coached in my club in seventh and eighth grade.

“My assistants want me to do it for four more [years]. Do an even 30. [But] no.”

Senior Nicollette Udell has mixed feelings about Pillars’ impending retirement.

“The seniors, we’re happy she’s leaving with us, because she’s spent a lot of time with us and she’s a really good coach. But I know she’s going to end her coaching career and she’s been very good for this program,” Udell said.

The Rockets (32-6) were a bit slow-starting in the opening game, and the Knights (29-8) came to play, taking leads of 10-9 and 11-10.

A kill by Claire Bickett and two by Udell helped the Rockets to a 16-13 lead.

Bickett added a cross spike to put the Rockets up 23-16 and finished off the win with another kill off a Fieldcrest block to take the opener 25-16.

“After the first maybe 10 points of that first set, we kind of settled in, and our game took off,” Pillars said. “I know sometimes [there are] nerves, and you put a little pressure on yourself. We didn’t play bad that first 10 points, I just thought we weren’t ourselves. [Then] we kind of locked in and locked down.”

Udell said the Rockets talked about bringing the energy Monday morning at school and to play their game.

“I’m very pleased with how we played. I feel like we were really connecting. Our energy was really good tonight. That game came down to who had better energy and who was ready to win,” she said.

Rock Falls carried that momentum over into the second game, jumping out to a 5-1 lead, then going up 10-3 on a kill by Bickett.

The Rockets used a 6-1 run and two kills by Udell extended their lead to 20-11. The Knights sided out, but the Rockets scored the final five points of the night to coast to a 25-12 win.

Bickett (11 digs) and Udell (5 digs) each had nine kills for the Rockets. Carli Kobbeman had 12 digs and two aces, Sophia Moeller had four aces and three digs, and Denali Stonitsch had 17 assists, nine digs and one ace.

Rock Falls will face an IVC team that placed third at state last year. The Rockets beat IVC in straight sets in their third match of the season.

“They’ve got a lot of weapons and a lot of guns,” Pillars said. “That was our [third] match of the season, and I know obviously people change, tweak lineups, whatever. I know they’re playing good ball and are very well-coached.”

The Rockets seek their second sectional championship in three years and seventh in school history.

Udell said the Rockets want to take Pillars all the way to state.

“That’s the plan. I think we have to play our game and have good energy. We can make it,” she said.