NORMAL – Olivia Austin is not a one-dimensional volleyball player.

Early in her career, Austin showed she wasn’t a one-sport athlete.

The Nazareth junior middle hitter is a star basketball and volleyball player, and already has made a big impact for both programs to leave a lasting legacy. A three-sport athlete, Austin also plays soccer in the spring.

Friday was another example of Austin’s immense talents – in volleyball.

Austin successfully pounded down all six of her kill attempts to spark Nazareth to a 25-19, 25-13 win over Taylorville in a Class 3A state semifinal on Friday night. Victoria Perez paced the Roadrunners with nine kills and Lauren Salata finished with eight kills and six digs.

Defending champion Nazareth (22-16) endured a rough regular season full of losses, mostly to 4A teams, to arrive back in the state title match. The Roadrunners are seeking their second straight championship title, when they play powerhouse St. Francis in the 3A final at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday. The Spartans defeated Joliet Catholic in two sets in the opening semifinal to advance to the title match.

The Roadrunners followed the same formula as the Spartans to the championship match, relying on their collective depth and athleticism to overwhelm their semifinal opponent. Nazareth ended the regular season with a .500 record, but has lost just one set in the playoffs.

“I think we’re a little not surprised even though a lot of people were not expecting us to be here,” Nazareth coach Melissa Masterson said. “These girls have put in a lot of work, especially in the last three weeks, to get here…It was special to win that match in two (sets).

“We played a really clean and confident and great match. Last year there were a lot of expectations. I think everywhere was not surprised we made it down here and won. This year, this team believed they could do it.. They came to the gym every day and just continued to work and get better and achieve their goal of getting down here.”

The 6-foot-2 Austin, who is receiving interest from a few Ivy League schools for basketball, admitted she was driven to win Friday’s state semifinal.

After helping lead the Roadrunners to the program’s first state volleyball championship last season, Austin returned to Redbird Arena to experience an entirely different set of emotions. Austin felt the heartache of losing in the state basketball title game, when Nazareth suffered a 43-39 defeat to Carmel in the 3A championship game at Redbird Arena on March 5.

Eight-plus months later, Austin made sure her return would include at least one more celebration on Doug Collins Court. Austin was a powerful presence at the net, displaying her athleticism with several highlight-reel kills in the first set to record four kills.

“It was really different feelings from (last) November to March,” Austin said. “But it feels really good. I’m happy because the team worked so hard to get here. We deserved it. I felt it since the beginning of the season. I saw how much talent and potential we had. I had a feeling we were going to be down here again.”

Nazareth senior setter Kitty Sandt, a Clemson recruit, said the Roadrunners relied on their experience to knock off the Tornadoes (30-10-1), who were making their first state appearance.

“Obviously, I’ve been (at state) my freshman, junior and now senior year,” Sandt said. “Coming back last year, I still had nerves, but coming back this year, I knew what the stadium was like and knew what it was like to play when it’s kind of quiet and the lights. It’s super helpful to understand the feeling, then you can stay more composed throughout the match. We talked about staying calm.”