Girls Volleyball: St. Charles East coach Jennie Kull cherishes final run to fourth at state ‘This was spectacular’

NORMAL – Barrington senior outside hitter Jessica Horwath wanted to bask under the spotlight one more time before heading into the sunlight.

Before embarking to play beach volleyball at Arizona next season, Horwath made sure to cement her legacy with another inspirational performance. Horwath wrapped up a dominating career with a dominating performance. She added a twist with a memorable ending.

Horwath pounded a kill and served three straight aces to close out the second set and lead Barrington to a 25-20, 25-16 victory over St. Charles East in the Class 4A third-place match at Redbird Arena.

The 6-foot Horwath, normally a fiery ball of energy on the court, said she cherished her final indoor volleyball match.

But Horwath couldn’t contain her emotions in the postgame conference, wiping away tears when discussing playing her final match for the Fillies (40-2). Horwath piled up 10 kills and six digs, and Jenna Meitzler had six kills, seven assists and five digs. Kate Goudreau led the Saints (33-9) with 13 kills and five digs, Sarah Musial had 16 assists and Lia Schneider netted 11 digs and two aces

“This is my last indoor match,” Horwath said, stopping herself briefly to control her emotions. “There’s been so much great support from everybody. … We wanted to go out and play really free for the match. We knew it was our last one as a group. This is a really big year for us. Everybody really has stepped up and come together. I’m really proud of how everyone played today and I’m going to miss this group a lot.”

The Saints (33-9) tried to make longtime coach Jennie Kull a winner in the final match of her coaching career, but came up short against the talented Fillies.

Kull, who won two state championships, turned the St. Charles East program into a state powerhouse with her freestyle coaching and love for her players. She built a culture based on strong chemistry and cherishing playing together in high school.

Kull opened her final postgame news conference stressing the need for the IHSA to separate public and private schools in the state playoffs. In the end, after talking several minutes about the public versus private school debate, Kull thanked her players for a memorable conclusion. Kull finished her 26-year career with a 726-254 record, with the Saints winning state titles in 2001 and 2008.

“This was spectacular, especially to be down here our senior year,” Kull said. “These are a great group of kids.”

After the Fillies suffered a heartbreaking defeat to Benet in the state semifinals – just their second loss of the season – Horwath rallied her team to the program’s second straight third-place trophy.

Barrington coach Michelle Jakubowski said Horwath helped raise the standard in the program. Horwath had a team-best 390 kills and 261 digs this season.

“We’re going to miss her immensely,” Jakubowski said. “She’s an incredible leader and so positive. … I hope the ladies that are younger and coming back next year understand what she meant to the team and hope people want to be like Jess.”