Benet’s block(ing) party helps Redwings advance to third straight Class 4A title match

NORMAL — Benet has been known for being a dominating presence at the net during the 2024 season.

And with a chance to advance to their third straight title match Friday? They saw no reason to change their game plan.

The Redwings used 14 blocks throughout the match to to take down Huntley in straight sets 25-15, 25-19 to advance to its third consecutive Class 4A title match at CEFCU Arena.

The Redwings will be looking to get its first title since 2019 after falling short in each of the last two seasons to Mother McAuley. Benet (40-1) will face Marist (30-9) in the Class 4A title match at 8:55 p.m. Saturday. The Redhawks took down Lockport in straight sets to make their first title match since winning back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018.

“We’ve been here, and this team’s not the same as it was last year,” Benet coach Brad Baker said. “This is a different team with a different mindset. They’ve battled adversity all year and we’re going to keep doing the same things that have gotten us to this point. We’ll prepare, and those are going to be the things that give us confidence as we prepare.”

While Benet knows it’ll be facing a new opponent this time around compared to the last few years, the players know that they still need to approach the game not gripping to the past.

“We’re just trying to treat it as a new opportunity, like a clean slate,” senior setter Audrey Asleson said. “We obviously think about what happened in the past, but this is a new team. We have new hitters and I’m playing a different position from last year, so we’re trying to do everything we can to stay really present.”

Leading the way in the blocking committee was junior middle Lynney Tarnow. The Wisconsin commit put up four blocks in the match. Senior middle Gabby Stasys and Asleson each put up three and senior outside hitter Keira O’Donnell had a pair.

“We practice blocking a lot, and it’s a huge part of our game,” Tarnow said. “Especially with a very tall front row, it helps us out a lot. But we just are disciplined, and we try to get as much as we can, especially against heavy hitters.”

The heavy presence at the net helped the Redwings contain Huntley, which was held to a .083 hitting percentage. Part of that success was due to limiting senior outside hitter and Kentucky commit Georgia Watson, who had 10 kills on 26 attacking opportunities.

“We knew we had to just go get the ball. That’s what we always want to do, no matter who the hitter is,” Tarnow said. “She’s a great player, but you have to focus on whoever is getting set and you just need to go get it, and that’s what you want to do as a blocker.”

The Redwings success at the net on defense also translated over to offense, with Tarnow and O’Donnell each putting up six kills on the night to lead the team.

O’Donnell, who transferred to Benet after playing at Lemont for her first three seasons, said playing at state for the first time was an exciting experience, especially with a team like the Redwings.

“I feel like the opportunity to be on this team is kind of insane, and so to be able to contribute to the team was kind of awesome.”

One change the Redwings made from their past couple postseason games was putting junior Ellie Stiernagle in the back to serve. Stiernagle, who’s committed to Northwestern, made her opportunity count with two aces, including one that closed out the first set.

“I always go back there knowing that I’m going to get an ace, and that’s my mentality every time because that’s how I’m going to get points for my team,” Stiernagle said. “And going back to the serving line, being the first server, we need to start out hot. And if that’s how we start out hot, that’s how we do it.”