Benet passed its first test against Downers Grove North this season.

The Redwings aced their second.

Eight days after edging the Trojans in three sets, Benet served 12 aces in sweeping Downers Grove North 25-11, 25-16 in the final of the Wheaton Classic on Saturday at Wheaton Warrenville South.

Junior libero Claire Weathers led Benet (16-1) with four aces, while senior middle Lynney Tarnow had three aces and senior outside hitters Brooklynne Brass and Sophia Chinetti two apiece.

“Serve and pass,” Benet coach Brad Baker said. “How you pass is going to determine the level that you play at, and obviously serving is the first line of your defense.

“If you can serve and can keep them off the net, it makes things a lot easier.”

Things were easy for the Redwings from the start. They had four aces (two each from Brass and Weathers) in the first nine points and seven overall in the first set, which ended with Weathers landing her final ace.

Weathers and senior setter Ellie Stiernagle each had eight service points.

“My coach will give me a zone and I will try my best to hit that zone,” Weathers said. “I usually do and once I get in my rhythm, I tend to do very well.”

All of the Redwings were in rhythm with their serving, which proved to be the widest gulf between the two teams. The Trojans (11-4) did not have any aces but made four service errors.

“Benet serves aggressive and did some things that we don’t typically see,” Downers Grove North coach Mark Wasik said. “They’re just kind of next level, and when we’re not contacting the ball well in the first contact and then therefore not running our best stuff, they get to do what they want.

“The momentum of almost every rally is on their side because we’re just scrambling and on our heels trying to stop their best stuff, which is really hard to stop to begin with.”

Serving was a point of emphasis for the Redwings, who held leads of 8-2, 13-5 and 20-9 in the first set.

“We knew we needed to focus on our pass and our serve, our first contact over the last week, and I think we really did that,” said Stiernagle, who had 19 assists and three kills. “We upped the level of our serving game, especially today, and we knew it was going to be a big focus for us.

“We know we’re a really hard-serving team if we get our balls in, and that’s how we play our game. So we just need to make sure we focus on that and then we’re good.”

The Trojans were better in the second set as senior outside hitter Kelly Crowley spiked five of her team-high six kills. She also had two blocks, including one that cut Benet’s lead to 9-8.

But Benet middle Sophia Youssef responded with a kill and Stiernagle served the next six points. The Trojans again battled back to within 20-15, but Benet answered with a 5-1 run, which included two aces from Tarnow and another on match point from Stiernagle.

“On some level, the resilience of this team was nice to see,” Wasik said. “Even after we get smacked around in the first set against them, we bounced back and competed, which is good.

“That’s a function of their character. They’re an easy group to coach and they keep fighting, which is all you can ask for.”

The Trojans actually fueled the Redwings to improve after taking a set off them in their first meeting.

“For sure, because we went to three (sets) last time and we weren’t really happy with our performance,” Stiernagle said. “So we wanted to come back a little stronger this time and show who we are as a team.

“I think we did just that and we kind of knew where they were going to be going a little bit more than we did last time, so I thought it was way better.”

Brass, who led all players with eight kills, one more than senior right-side Molly Welge, agreed.

“I think it was one of our better performances because I think all-around – passing, setting, hitting, blocking – we really put it all together,” Brass said. “So I’m really proud of us.”