Big Ten volleyball recruit too much for Taylorville in supersectional loss to Normal West

TAYLORVILLE — The Taylorville volleyball team came out swinging against Normal West in the Class 3A supersectional at Dolph Stanley Court on Friday.

The Tornadoes attacked with menacing serves, balanced hitting and a boisterous student section to boot.

No. 1 Normal West (33-6) weathered the gauntlet with solid defense and of course, senior outside hitter Averie Hernandez.

Hernandez registered a game-high 17 kills en route to a 26-24, 25-21 victory and the Wildcats’ first state berth since 1995. Normal West will meet No. 1 Belvidere North in the state semifinals at Redbird Arena in Normal at 5:30 p.m. on Friday.

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The winner plays either No. 1 Joliet Catholic or No. 3 LaGrange Park Nazareth for the championship on Saturday.

“It’s unreal,” said Hernandez, who is committed to Northwestern. “They have a great student section to support them. I’m super grateful for our fans to come out. I feel like having that support makes us feel just as much better when we score points. It’s an unreal experience.

“It’s crazy. I’m obviously super proud of the girls. It’s a long season. Just to know their mindset is on getting better and working hard and extending our season is awesome.”

Taylorville made a late charge

Taylorville (35-5) appeared to have Normal West on the ropes in the first set following a few aces. Junior libero Sam Logue delivered back-to-back aces for a 15-12 advantage and junior setter Sophie Mizeur added another several plays later.

The Tornadoes led by as much as 20-14 after senior setter Summer Brandis’ assist to senior outside hitter Hannah Clayton.

A kill by Brandis preserved a 23-20 lead, but a violation and back-to-back kills by Hernandez tied the match. Normal West freshman Ellie Rink provided a critical dig and Hernandez capitalized with another kill on junior setter Sydney Sennett’s assist.

Hernandez and junior middle hitter Ashlyn Hicks then sealed the first set with a block. Hernandez had 10 kills after the first set.

“We’ve been talking a lot about defense, it’s definitely something we’ve been working on all year,” Normal West coach Kelsey Mueller said. “When you’re playing such a good team like Taylorville, you have to slow them down. Offensively they’re so strong, especially on the outside.

“So if we get to slow down their attack a little bit and get some key digs and key blocks, that helps to keep the ball alive for one more play. We’ve been talking about one play at a time and I think they really did a good job with that.”

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Sennett finished with 21 assists, three kills and two aces. Alannah Blanks also had three kills while Rink had two kills and one ace.

“It just means everything to all of the players and coaches that came before us and had to lay the groundwork,” Mueller said. “Obviously it’s a testament to these girls, I thought they played phenomenally in a super tough environment.

“They put in a lot of work. It’s a grind. We don’t make it easy on them and they handled every challenge we bring to them. I couldn’t be more proud or love this team more.”

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Taylorville rallied in the second set and reached as close as 21-20 with Hernandez relegated to the back row, featuring back-to-back kills from junior outside hitter Elle Richards and a putdown by senior middle hitter Abby Heberling.

But Sennett’s ace and Hicks’ second block of the game helped cement the victory.

Taylorville coach Kim Peabody said they knew they had to score points when Hernandez went to the back. They just didn’t score enough, she said.

Hernandez previously had 16 kills in a 25-17, 25-19 sectional final win over Rochester.

“I really thought we were going to come out ahead on that first set,” Peabody said. "(Hernandez) is a beast. When she’s in the front row, we just didn’t have an answer for her. She kind of took over the game when they needed her to and she’s a really good player.”

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Clayton, who will play at Lincoln Land Community College, led Taylorville with seven kills and nine digs. Richards followed with five kills while Heberling and freshman Mazie Fleming had four kills apiece.

Brandis totaled 18 assists while Logue manufactured 12 digs and two aces.

Brandis achieved the 2,000-assists benchmark earlier this week and Taylorville exits with the most wins in school history.

“These girls, they had an awesome season and I’m proud of them,” Peabody said.

Contact Bill Welt: bill.welt@sj-r.com, Twitter.com/BillWelt

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: IHSA volleyball: Normal West claims state berth with Taylorville win