MINOOKA — The Minooka Junior High School eighth grade volleyball team took center stage at an assembly Thursday to celebrate their successful season.
“This was amazing. And all of the support these girls received shows a lot about the community, parents, students and coaches. They do what’s best for the kids,” This will be an accomplishment these girls will never forget.” Minooka Junior High athletic director Adrianne McKerrow said.
Dubbed the “comeback queens” by head coach Coral Berta, the eighth grade volleyball team clinched the IESA Class 8-4A state championship title Tuesday night in Rochester.
“This feels amazing to be a part of a team like this; it’s the perfect way to end the eighth grade season,” team captain Zoey Seput said.
Berta said the team went 23-2 this season, which Berta credited to the fact that most of these girls played last season together, extra training and a strong unity on and off of the court.
“These girls came into this year with a fire and a desire. From the start they knew my expectations of them and that on the court and in practice everyone needed to work,” Berta said.
The team of 11 girls pushed through regional play in Coal City and sectionals, which were held in Minooka, which Berta said was big for the team to have home court advantage in a playoff game after a heavy travel schedule.
"This was a travel year for us," Berta said. "We only had five home games, but the girls overcame that hurdle, and the fact that we could win on the road all of the times we did was amazing.”
In the first round of state play, Minooka went up against Liberty Middle School out of Edwardsville. Minooka had a difficult match due to different playing styles, but scored 25-18, and 25-22 for the win, losing the second game 25-23.
“Liberty was a tough game. I told our team that we had to leave it all on the line and that this was our moment. We were down five points in the last game and came back and won,” Seput said.
That very rally spirit was what made Berta, who was assisted by Chris Lincoln on the sideline, coin this team the “comeback queens.”
“They were down so many times, but they never gave up. I told them to hold their heads high and not show emotion to the other team,” she said.
The team went in aggressive and confident into the next round of play with Parker Junior High out of Flossmoor. They swept in two games with scores of 25-10 and 25-18, which secured their spot for the state championship game.
Tuesday night, the team and more than 120 fans trekked down to Rochester and the bleachers became a sea of white and blue. The team was up against Summit Hill Junior High from Frankfort and came ready to play.
“I told the girls to play Minooka ball, which means to play clean, take risks and run plays,” Berta said.
The girls did just that, and beat Summit hill in two games with scores of 25-18 and 25-17.
“This was a great experience because our team was a close group this year. The fans were awesome and that last game felt so good. Once we won, we all jumped up and hugged each other,” Seput said.