St. Joseph-Ogden’s volleyball team has one more road trip in its future.

The Spartans are headed to the Class 2A state semifinals in Normal following Friday’s rousing come-from-behind super-sectional victory over Chicago Christian on the Knights’ home court.

“So surreal,” senior middle hitter Lacey Kaiser said.

“Pure excitement,” added Stephanie Trame, another senior middle hitter.

The showdown didn’t lack for tension and drama.

Almost half of the match was played before the Spartans secured their first lead, 10-9 in the second set.

That followed an opening set where the Knights doubled the score quickly (12-6) and coasted to a 25-15 triumph.

“They had a strong offense, and it took us a little bit to get used to it,” Kaiser said.

“After the first set, we saw spots that were open and were able to put balls there,” Trame said.

The Spartans have needed to rally in other matches and Trame said the team wasn’t distraught after Friday’s start.

“We’re used to starting off slower,” Trame said. “The first set didn’t do anything to our confidence.

“We know we’ll never give up.”

SJ-O fought back to garner a 25-23 triumph in the second set and then trailed just twice in the decisive third set, a 25-16 victory that produced the school’s 21st consecutive victory.

Middle hitters Kaiser and Trame were two of the team’s catalysts.

“They were game-changers,” SJ-O coach Abby McDonald said. “They got us going and stood out in the middle.”

The Spartans only trailed 1-0 and 5-4 in the final set while raising their school-record season win total to 36.

Consecutive blocks by Trame and Kennedi Burnett helped the Spartans build a 16-10 cushion in the final set.

McDonald struggled to keep her composure, even though her team needed nine more points to secure its advancement.

“After the big block, it brought me to tears,” McDonald said. “They were in control and that’s when I realized, ‘They’re going to do this.’”

Having experienced the state tournament with the Spartans’ team in 2016, McDonald was keenly aware of what would be awaiting her current squad.

“I know the types of memories these kids are going to make,” she said, “ones that will last a lifetime, and that made me emotional.”

Next up for SJ-O (36-4) is one of the state’s all-time small-school powerhouses, Breese Mater Dei (32-9) at noon on Friday at Illinois State University’s Redbird Arena. That winner will play for the state championship on Saturday afternoon.

“Our whole goal was to make it to state,” Trame said. “Now that we’re here, we’re so excited.

“The teams will be a lot tougher, but we have confidence.  We have improved so much.”

In its history, Mater Dei has captured seven state championships in volleyball and earned nine other top-four state finishes.

The state match will be SJ-O’s sixth in a row on the road since the postseason series began, but it will be nothing compared to Friday’s journey

SJ-O traveled more than two hours to Palos Heights on Friday to play a memorable super-sectional match that lasted 70 minutes. The total round trip covered more than 266 miles.

McDonald is sticking to her plan of giving her players two days off before resuming practice on Monday.

“When we go (to state), we’re going to enjoy every moment, whether we win or lose,” she said.

After pulling into a tie in the first set at 3-3, SJ-O was unable to draw even again until a Trame kill made it 9-9 in the second set.

It wasn’t just the offense that found a spark in the middle set.

“We did a better job on our defense,” McDonald said. “We found some weaknesses that we didn’t take advantage of in the first set.

“We played a lot more controlled on our side of the net.”

The Spartans captured their first lead of the night – on the match’s 59th point (out of 129 total points) – when Chicago Christian (32-6) hit the ball out of bounds. At that point, SJ-O was ahead, 10-9, in the second set.

Setter Emily Bigger (26 assists) involved all of her hitters in the final set, including getting the ball to Trame, Burnett, Katelyn Berry and Kaiser for kills at key junctures.

For the match, the Spartans put all but two serves in play. They not only didn’t give away many points, but also made it tough for the home team to find a rhythm.

“We served aggressively and took them out of their first-ball contact,” McDonald said. “We served short. We served deep. They are confident in any zone I give them. That gave them more confidence as we went.”

SJ-O took the lead for good in the third set, 17-16.

McDonald was filled with good feelings after the teams traded wins in the first two sets.

“The way we controlled the end of the second set, things were starting to pick up for us and our body language changed,” she said. “I told them (before the final set), ‘This is what we’ve prepared for all season.’”

The team made its presence felt at the net, registering 10 blocks. Kaiser and Payton Vallee each put up three blocks. Burnett and Trame had two blocks apiece.

The Spartans have won six consecutive three-set matches and overall are 6-2 for the season in three-set matches. Four of the three-set victories occurred in matches where SJ-O lost the opening set.

SJ-O picked up many of the Knights’ attacks, amassing 70 digs overall.

Rylee Stahl led with 19 digs and Bigger completed her double-double with 16 digs.

They were far from the only standouts.

Burnett contributed nine digs, Kaiser had eight, Lindsey Aden had eight and Kenly Taylor had six digs.

Burnett was the leader of a balanced offense. She totaled 11 kills and Trame pounded seven kills. Berry and Vallee each finished with six kills. Bigger had three and Kaiser added one kill.

The quartet of Trame, Vallee, Bigger and Kaiser combined for 17 kills in the match without any hitting errors.

McDonald is ready to go to battle again with her team.

“They are not only great volleyball players, but also good people,” she said, “and I’m thankful to the coaching staff for the time they have put in.”

The winners of the Friday, Nov. 15 state semifinal matches will play in the championship match at 1:55 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 16. The semifinal losers will return to action on Nov. 16 in the third-place match at 12:25 p.m.

The post McDonald: “This is what we’ve prepared for all season.” first appeared on SJO Daily.

St. Joseph-Ogden couldn’t do anything about the location of Wednesday’s sectional championship volleyball match, but the Spartans had a say in the location of the seating arrangements.

Prior to the final set at Watseka High School, SJ-O coach Abby McDonald instructed setter Emily Bigger to switch sides for the third set, if the choice presented itself.

“In 14 years of coaching, that is not something I’ve said,” McDonald said.

And yet, on this night, the coach believed it would be the right call.

“Herscher’s student section was right behind our bench,” McDonald said. “It was hard to stay focused.”

The teams made the switch and the Spartans were able to change the momentum and pull out a victory over the Tigers, the 20th in a row and one that sends SJ-O into a Class 2A super-sectional at 6:30 p.m. on Friday.

SJ-O (35-4), which had advanced to the Sweet 16 for the fourth time in the past five years, registered a 25-19, 12-25, 25-23 triumph.

The Spartans are now in the Elite Eight and one win away from a state semifinal berth.

Losing the second set by more than a 2-to-1 margin could be unnerving for a teen-aged group, but McDonald reminded them of the situations they found themselves in throughout the season.

“Our focus has been, ‘Right here. Right now,’ “ she said. “What can we learn right here, right now that will prepare us down the road?

“There were plenty of matches where we were down and had to come back. Those moments are not ideal, but our kids are so knowledgeable and have shown they could come back.

“We talked about that this is nothing different than what we’ve prepared for. Their experience allowed us to be successful.”

With Kennedi Burnett posting a double-double (17 kills, 10 digs) and Bigger distributing 40 assists for the match, the Spartans were able to extend their season.

Herscher (35-3) jumped into a quick lead in the tiebreaking set, 4-1, before SJ-O regrouped.

The Spartans created a tie at 7-7 and stormed ahead 19-16 and 23-19, ultimately ending the two-point victory on a kill by Burnett.

“We started transitioning, moving faster on defense and picking up balls,” McDonald said. “Once we keyed in on defense, our offense got going.

“The second half of the third set, we were in pretty good control.”

Bigger had an assortment of hitters to turn to. In addition to Burnett, Payton Vallee slammed 11 kills, Katelyn Berry had 10 and Lacey Kaiser ended with six.

Rylee Stahl produced a team-high 17 digs. Burnett also put up two blocks.

McDonald has come to expect contributions from a multitude of players.

“Our team, it takes all of us to get the win,” she said.

McDonald was pleased that her veteran squad didn’t repeat tendencies that showed up in their 2018 finale.

“Our biggest mistake last year was playing nervous and tense,” she said. “I reminded them, ‘We’ve been here before. Remember the lessons we’ve learned.’

“They didn’t make that mistake.”

Wednesday’s win over Herscher continues a pattern that has been in play all week.

Play a match (Monday), then practice (Tuesday). Play a match (Wednesday), then practice (Thursday). Play a match (Friday), then … regardless of the outcome, there will be a break for the weekend.

“Our philosophy is to take two days off a week,” McDonald said. “I’ve learned if you go too hard, too long, kids almost hit a burnout level.”

She is fine with the week’s quick turnaround between matches.

“At this point, you’re either ready or you’re not,” McDonald said. “I’m OK with one practice and keep going.”

Though SJ-O and Herscher had not played one another in the regular season, the opponent was not an unfamiliar one for the Spartans.

Not only had they met in a summer league match, and then saw Herscher’s Monday two-set sectional semifinal conquest over Unity, but McDonald also had a scouting report from the regional tournament prepared by a non-volleyball staff member.

“I’m thankful to have other coaches who are willing to make that possible,” McDonald said. “It can be hard when you’re in-season to get to everything.”

The next challenge for SJ-O, which is seeking to add another win to its school-record single-season total, is to travel to Chicago Christian on Friday to play the host school in a 6:30 p.m. super-sectional match that determines which school will reach the state semifinals.

McDonald has no complaints with the draw.

“I’d rather go to their place,” she said. “Our kids play better on the road.”

In Monday’s sectional semifinal match, SJ-O made Seneca its seventh consecutive two-set sweep victim. The Spartans scored a 25-17, 25-11 victory.

The SJ-O win was paced by Bigger with 18 assists and six digs along with Burnett, who totaled 12 kills and four digs. Stahl contributed seven digs.

The Spartans’ nine-member senior class has been a part of more varsity victories in volleyball than any other group in school history. After Wednesday’s win, the school has totaled 119 wins in the past four seasons.

The previous four-year wins record in volleyball at SJ-O was 115, set by the Class of 2007, a group that had three head coaches in four years.

At stake on Friday, will be a chance for the Spartans to make their third appearance all-time at state in volleyball. The 2001 team qualified, but did not place. The 2016 team finished as the Class 2A state runners-up.

The post “Right Here, Right Now” takes Spartans to IHSA Supersectional first appeared on SJO Daily.

St. Joseph-Ogden’s volleyball team capped a perfect October on Thursday with a regional championship match victory.

If the Spartans match that performance in November, they will wind up as the top team in Class 2A.

For the second time in a week, SJ-O topped Monticello (20-15). Thursday’s 25-17, 25-14 triumph was in the Oakwood Class 2A Regional finals.

The Spartans are in familiar territory. The regional crown was the third in a row for the program and the sixth in the past seven years.

“We have nine seniors and they have all been playing volleyball since fourth grade,” veteran SJ-O coach Abby McDonald said. “They were successful last season and they have a lot of court experience. They have been around the program for a long time.

“Their experience and love for the sport is one of our biggest strengths.”

Senior setter Emily Bigger was on the varsity roster in 2016, when the school placed second at state in 2A.

“Emily has great court awareness and does a great job controlling our court,” McDonald said.

Bigger has more than 650 assists this season and is averaging more than 10 assists per set.

In the regional finals, she handed out 23 assists in the two-set sweep.

The Spartans have won 18 consecutive matches, including all 17 played in the month of October. Thursday’s victory extended the school-record single-season win total to 33.

“Our defense has been pretty solid,” McDonald said. “Rylee Stahl has stepped up as our libero this year. She takes every practice very seriously and has made a big difference.”

Stahl had 13 digs and Kennedi Burnett had 10 kills in the regional finals.

Their play put Bigger in position to share the sets. Katelyn Berry hammered nine kills and Stephanie Trame had five kills. Burnett and Payton Vallee each ended with four kills.

Lacey Kaiser was the team-leader with three service aces.

McDonald sees some positive comparisons between her current team and the state runner-up unit, including an unquestioned leader at the setter position. Bigger’s counterpart four years ago was also a senior, Andrea Coursey.

“By the end of the 2016 season, we played with a calmness and a sense of persistence,” McDonald said. “This team has developed very similarly. They are playing very poised.”

In the second set on Thursday, the Spartans weren’t flustered when the Sages opened up a 5-1 lead.

“They believe they can get back, and never quit playing,” McDonald said. “Our kids stayed confident in themselves.”

The coach knew it would be a challenge to beat a 20-win team for the second time in a week.

“As a coach, I tried to be relaxed, but I knew they would have a good game plan,” McDonald said. “Our kids did a nice job of not overlooking them.”

The Spartans will start the November portion of their schedule on Monday in the Watseka Sectional.

SJ-O will face Seneca in the 6 p.m. semifinal. In the opposite bracket, the 7 p.m. semifinal will be between Tolono Unity and Herscher.

The winners will return to Watseka on Wednesday for the sectional finals.

SJ-O’s 33-4 season record includes just one loss to a Class 2A opponent.

There are 32 remaining schools in the Class 2A state bracket, a number that will be cut in half by the end of the day on Monday.

“It’s fun seeing the kids being successful,” McDonald said.

Bigger handed out 18 assists and served nine aces on Tuesday as SJ-O broke its school record for wins in a season by overpowering Oakwood 25-5, 25-8 in the semifinals of a Class 2A regional at Oakwood. The win was No. 32 for the year.

Stahl had seven digs and four aces.

The offensive leaders were Burnett (nine kills), Vallee (six kills) and Berry (two kills).

The post Seniors’ love for volleyball carries Spartans to Regional Title first appeared on SJO Daily.

fred@mahometnews.com

Twelve years ago, Abby McDonald took over a St.  Joseph-Ogden volleyball program which was traditionally strong, yet at a crossroads.

When she became the head coach prior to the 2008 season, SJ-O had produced 20-win seasons in seven of the previous eight years.

The lone miss, however, was the year prior to her promotion from assistant to the top position. The Spartans compiled a 10-20 final record in 2007.

Where the program was headed was unclear. For McDonald, it was her first head coaching stint.

She was just seven years removed from a stellar high school career as a setter at Hoopeston Area.

McDonald isn’t one to dwell on the past. Or, for that matter, the present.

“I rarely know what the team record is,” McDonald said. “I just want to make sure we’re improving and prepared for the postseason.”

With the help of a visual aid, there is one record McDonald is sure to remember.

She was already the winningest volleyball coach in school history and earned career win No. 300 on Oct. 10 against Pontiac. Her players made certain she will recall the date.

As SJ-O principal Gary Page made a post-match announcement about the feat to the home audience that Thursday night, the Spartans delivered a signed ball to McDonald.

She was appreciative of the gesture, but didn’t lose focus.

After the brief ceremony, the coach didn’t need to be reminded of the next step.

“We moved on and started preparing for the next night,” McDonald said.

During her 12-year tenure, SJ-O has not won fewer than 20 matches in any season. Her 300th win occurred in the 377th varsity match she coached at the school.

Entering Tuesday’s regular-season home finale against Olympia, McDonald has 303 career wins and boasts a career winning percentage of 79.7 percent.

This year’s team has a 24-4 record.

You won’t hear McDonald talking about her accolades.

“I want the game to be about the kids,” McDonald said.

The key to the high school success is the start that the players get during junior high.

“We’re blessed with good feeder programs,” McDonald said.

She insists that the success of the high school program is not just a reflection of her efforts.

“I’ve really been blessed with great assistant coaches,” she said, “and to be on the sidelines with really good and talented people who helped me build the program.”

Even after achieving a milestone, McDonald doesn’t lose sight of the big picture.

“Our conference is very talented and I am focused more on what we need to do to be successful,” she said.

During the school day, second-grade teacher McDonald rarely sees her varsity players. She has learned that she might be surrounded by some of her future players though.

One current varsity player she taught a decade ago is senior Rylee Stahl.

Since McDonald decided on a teaching career, second grade is where she found her calling.

“That (grade) has always been one of my favorites,” she said. “They know how to read coming in, and I love to teach reading comprehension.”

During her first two years as the SJ-O volleyball coach, McDonald also worked with the junior high program. She gave that up after starting a family (Hadley is now 10 and Kru is 7).

But in 2014, she started a brief introductory youth program for students as young as kindergarten.

“It’s fun to see how excited they are,” McDonald said. “We’ve done youth camps in the summer since I’ve been here, but there was nothing in the winter.”

The program she implemented is once a week for four weeks. Each session lasts about 90 minutes.

Even if she doesn’t get future players, she may get some fans.

“They tend to come to the games and watch,” McDonald said. “It’s fun to be a part of their academic career as well as their athletic career.”

Her own career path was set while in high school.

“I definitely wanted to be a teacher,” McDonald said.

She was an athlete for all seasons, shifting from volleyball in the fall to basketball during the winter and softball in the spring.

“They were pretty equal until my senior year when I fell in love more with the sport of volleyball,” she said.

As a senior, she was on the six-player News-Gazette All-Area second team, helping Hoopeston to a 23-win season and a conference championship in 2000.

After playing two years at Danville Area Community College, she completed her collegiate eligibility at Illinois-Springfield.

She wasn’t looking to stay in the game after graduation.

“I was fortunate to play four years in college,” McDonald said, “but I didn’t aspire to be a coach.”

She had plenty of influential role models during her formative years, including veteran volleyball coaches Beth Carpenter, Mike Pennicook and Shawn Lane.

Perhaps her biggest influence was basketball coach Jim Matta, a person with whom she maintains contact.

“Coach Matta taught me a love for sports and what I can do outside of the gym,” McDonald said. “I still communicate with him.”

Whether she winds up with a souvenir ball in the future for milestone wins such as No. 500 and No. 600 is to be determined.

“Who knows what the future will hold,” she said.

One person who hopes McDonald keeps coaching is her 10-year-old daughter.

“She asked, ‘Will you keep coaching until I get to high school,’ and I realized that’s only three more seasons,” McDonald said.

She has had conversations with the school’s former boys’ basketball coach and current superintendent Brian Brooks about recognizing when it’s time to step aside.

“He has been a valuable mentor,” McDonald said. “I asked, ‘how do you know when it’s your time to be done,’ and he said, ‘You’ll know.’”

Her response?

“I’ve told him I don’t know yet,” she said.

Part of that is a tribute to the athletes she has coached and is coaching.

“I’ve had good kids who make it enjoyable,” McDonald said.

There is one certainty that has been a constant for McDonald, from the time she was a competitive athlete and continuing through her tenure as a head coach.

She can look in the stands and spot her parents, Dana and Ken Kuntz.

“My parents don’t miss a match,” McDonald said, “unless dad is in the field farming.

“They enjoy it as much as I do the coaching and are always encouraging.”

Asked to put reaching the 300-career win mark in perspective, McDonald answered, “all that means is that I’m getting old.”

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