After winning the first set at Tuesday night’s Class 3A IC Catholic Sectional semifinal, Burlington Central wasn’t overly concerned when its opponent, Resurrection, rose up to claim the second set and tie the match.

But when the sixth-seeded Bandits raced out to a 5-1 lead in the third, a few shreds of doubt began to creep in for the second-seeded Rockets.

“We were down, but we just had to keep our heads up,” said Burlington Central freshman Joselyn Johnson. “Just trust each other that we could push, get ahead and stay ahead, because every point matters.

“It was nerve-wracking, but I have a very high standard that I like to play up to.”

And it was Johnson, midway through the deciding game, who helped turn the tide for the Rockets.

She led a rally on serve, hitting two consecutive aces to help her team pull away and win 25-22, 12-25, 25-19.

The Rockets (20-15) move on to Thursday’s sectional championship match at 6 p.m. back at IC in Elmhurst against St. Viator, which defeated Wheaton Academy in the first semifinal.

“You know, we like to make it interesting,” said Rockets coach Julia Smagacz with a laugh. “But I trusted that we were going to be able to fight back, because we have the ability to carry a lot of energy and a lot of momentum.

“I know our girls really, really wanted to win that last set. I think it was a case of our mentality. We didn’t panic at all, and we weren’t playing tense. We were executing well, and our energy in the third set was definitely a lot better.”

Burlington Central won the first set going away, led by the hitting of Peyton Strout.

The middle set was forgettable for the Rockets, as Resurrection took Burlington Central completely out of system.

Then after the Rockets fell behind by four points early in the deciding game, Johnson took control on a five-point run from the service line, and her second ace saw her team take an 11-7 lead.

Burlington Central extended the advantage to 23-14. Resurrection rallied to close within 24-19, but a final kill from senior Julia Johnson closed out the victory.

Strout led the way on attack for Burlington Central with eight kills, while 6-foot-4 junior middle blocker Ainsley Wilson had seven kills.

Junior setter Tiernan Naus finished with 14 assists and eight digs.

“We changed our energy (down the stretch),” said Strout about the Rockets’ rally. “When we play tense, we don’t do well, so we kind of fixed that. Halfway through the third set we turned it around, brought more energy, and more execution.”

Strout, a senior, admitted that when Resurrection took the third-set lead, the possibility that she was playing her final prep game was real.

But she and her teammates rose to the occasion.

“It did cross my mind,” she added of the thought of her team possibly falling short. “That would have been saddening.”

In Tuesday’s other semifinal, despite a few anxious moments – more than a few, to be honest – St. Viator survived and advanced.

No. 4 seed Wheaton Academy took the top-seeded Lions to the limit before St. Viator righted the ship and escaped with a 25-19, 18-25, 25-20 victory before an overflow crowd.

Senior outside hitter Erin Lynch led the attack for the Lions with 11 kills. Classmate Mary Franci pitched in to the win with four blocks, while junior setter Olive Meyers added 19 assists.

“I’m glad that our girls were able to drive through (adversity) tonight,” said St. Viator coach Charlie Curtin. “They (Wheaton Academy) kept coming at us. Credit to them, they fought to the bitter end. We just ended up getting a couple more than them.

“Our girls grinded, but it was definitely stressful at times.”

Wheaton Academy was neck-and-neck with St. Viator midway through the third set, but the Lions pulled through down the stretch.

Penelope Park had four aces in the match for the Warriors.

“I would say our team has a lot of heart,” said Wheaton Academy coach Cody Nielsen. “We didn’t have any returning varsity players this year; we were playing with a whole clean slate of new players on the varsity team.

“They decided to play together, play well and fight for every point.”

Clutch late kills from Lynch and Olivia Walberg paced St. Viator (31-7) to the first set win. Wheaton Academy fought back to take set two behind the strong hitting from Addie VanderLugt.

Two consecutive kills by Mary Franci gave the Lions a 17-13 lead in the deciding set. Wheaton Academy fought back with two kills from VanderLugt, but a Warriors hitting error gave the final point to the Lions.

“Going into the third set,” said VanderLugt, “we talked about keeping the pressure on and keeping up the energy. Overall, just play every point like it was our last point.”

https://www.dailyherald.com/20251104/girls-volleyball/girls-volleyball-burlington-central-finishes-strong-to-win-sectional-semifinal/