Girls volleyball: Lemont cruises past Providence Catholic in 3A sectional semifinal

JOLIET — It’s a lot easier to play with a lead.

Just ask Lemont.

In the opening semifinal of the Class 3A Joliet Catholic Sectional, Lemont got out to a 5-0 lead in the first set and and 8-2 lead in the second en route to a 25-18, 25-19 win over Providence Catholic.

That came as no surprise to coach Chris Zogata.

“When I saw the girls in school today, I could see on their faces that they were ready to play,” Zogata said as Lemont ran its record to 26-12 and will face Joliet Catholic in the sectional title match Wednesday. “They were very determined.

“We have been working them hard in practice, and they have been challenging each other. They weren’t nervous. They wanted to win.”

That much was evident from the start, and Lemont took its lead from senior Grace Ulatowski. Ulatowski had two of her match-high eight kills in the first three points, and Elaina Scoville closed the five-point run with an ace.

Lemont never trailed in the first set and led by as much as 20-9 before a five-point run by Providence (19-19) cut the gap to 20-14.

In the second set, the Celtics were able to close the early gap and take leads of 11-10 and 12-11 before the set was tied at 12, 13, 16 and 17 before Ulatowski put Lemont in command with three straight aces to make it 23-17.

Throughout the match, Ulatowski, Keira O’Donnell, April Rice and Adyson DuVall formed a nearly impenetrable wall at the net, blocking several Providence attacks and altering countless others.

“We have been challenging each other in practice,” Ulatowski said. “That helps out a lot and makes us all better, both attacking and blocking. It was a real team effort tonight. Everyone did an amazing job and we had a lot of energy.

“We don’t think we’re finished yet. We want to keep winning and keep playing.”

The youthful Celtics were led by junior Payton Mandac’s five kills, while freshman Abby Knight, senior Olivia Fitzgibbon and junior Olivia Cosgrove each had three. Kylie Williams had nine assists and freshman Demi Carbone had six.

“We were chasing points all night,” Providence coach Lee Rucinski said. “We played them pretty even after that, but we were just in too big of a hole early in both sets. It’s nothing but a positive experience for our younger players. Having four freshman seeing significant playing time will only help down the road.

“But, I feel bad for the seniors. We have won a lot of regionals, but we haven’t been able to get over that sectional hump. That was the goal for these seniors, and it’s sad to see that not happen.”