Girls volleyball: IC Catholic eager for another shot at state title

IC Catholic senior setter Lucy Russ heard the message loud and clear following last season’s Class 2A state championship loss.

The Knights suffered a hard-fought, two-set defeat to Genoa-Kingston in the title game, falling short of claiming the program’s fourth state title.

The Knights (35-3) aim to showcase their new-and-improved team in Friday’s Class 2A state semifinal against Carmi at noon at CEFCU Arena in Normal.

In Class 3A, among the local teams, defending champion St. Francis (32-8) battles Morton (31-7) in a 5:30 p.m. state semifinal. In 4A, Willowbrook (39-1) is making its first state appearance, taking on powerhouse Benet (38-2) at 7 p.m. and defending champion Mother McAuley (36-4) and Barrington (35-5) are slated for an 8:30 p.m. match.

A year ago, the Knights were built around the superstar power of then-junior Ava Falduto.

“One of big things we recognized last year was that we were highly dependent on Ava for our offense,” IC Catholic coach Nancy Kerrigan said. “Ava did the bulk of scoring for us. She’s an incredible athlete and had an unbelievable season last year, but that’s a lot to put mostly on one player’s shoulders because they have to be on every day. We were at that mercy last year.

“As a coach, I knew it was coming. (Ava) didn’t have a great day at the state championship, but we would not have gotten there without her. You can’t carry that weight on your shoulders every day. As a team, in order for us to succeed at a higher level, we needed other players to succeed.”

Russ, who has 760 assists, 233 digs, 162 kills, 67 aces and 30 blocks this season, said she focused on improving every aspect of her game to become a go-to player this fall, and to help take some of the burden away from Falduto, a Penn State recruit.

“As I started this season, I was more comfortable with being more offensive than I was last season,” Russ said. “I realized how important it was to us offensively in the highly competitive games. I have improved this season because I took time in practice to work on new shots and skills that made me a better player.”

Falduto, who has 350 kills, 323 digs, 89 assists, 41 aces and 31 blocks, said the Knights have a wide assortment of weapons this season. The Knights have four players with 100-plus kills to go with three with 230 or more digs. Junior outside hitter Emily Carling is among the key players this season, with 214 kills, 188 digs and 46 aces. Junior middle blocker Delilah Hyland has 146 kills, 68 blocks and 57 digs, while senior libero Alyssa Lawton has 334 digs, senior middle blocker Jenny Fromelt chips in with 79 kills and 59 blocks and Natalie Lawton has 160 digs.

“I truly think our team has a completely different look from last season,” Falduto said, an outside hitter. “We have a more experienced roster filled with juniors and seniors – and one sophomore – who have played together for two years now. We have a lot of dependable hitters this year and do not just rely on one person. Our team has worked really hard this year to improve the balance and stretch out the offense, so we are scoring all across the board.”

Kerrigan said the Knights have more diversity on their roster, which helps against talented teams.

“Lucy has put up big numbers, surpassing 2,000 career assists in only three years setting on the varsity,” Kerrigan said. “We had a big talk last year. I needed her to step up. She’s very athletic and had it in her to contribute offensively. Last year we didn’t get a whole lot of production out of the middle, so it was a point of emphasis. Delilah had a breakthrough year. When she gets ahold of the ball, she’s a showstopper. She’s another player who has stepped up. We can spread the offense, so it makes it easier for everyone.”

Russ and Falduto both agreed the state-title game defeat motivated the entire team during the offseason. The Knights enter the state semifinal riding a 20-match winning streak.

“When we left Bloomington last year, we talked as a team on the bus and we knew we wanted to make it back to the state title match,” Russ said. “Coach Kerrigan said next year is our “revenge tour” and that’s what we have focused on ever since. As a team, we put in the work at practice and played harder competition to get us where we are right now.”

Falduto agreed.

“After losing the state final match, all the team could think about was getting back to Redbird Arena,” Falduto said. “I think we have learned how to work better together to overcome adversity and tough competition and I think we have grown a ton physically and mentally in this past year. We are more prepared for the challenges in front of us and we have the experience that will help us be successful.”

Kerrigan credits the Knights’ return trip to state to a deeper team, which overcame the early-season absence of Falduto.

“It didn’t have right away,” Kerrigan said. “We don’t feel we got out of the gate. We had it mentally intact, but the pieces didn’t fit, partly because Ava was away for the first few weeks. I knew they were a great team even without Ava. It just took them a moment to figure that out. Even when Ava returned, it was a process and took some time. When we hit the Wheaton Classic in mid-September, then we started to roll.”