Girls Volleyball: Marist tops Benet and Lyons, seeks outright conference title

By Randy Whalen
Correspondent

With the postseason approaching, Marist is heating up.

The RedHawks won a pair of matches last week, taking a huge step toward winning the East Suburban Catholic Conference title by beating Benet, 25-10, 25-16 on Oct. 11 in Chicago.

Marist (5-0 ESCC) can capture its first outright league title since 2017 with a win over Carmel on Oct. 18. Benet and Marist tied for the conference championship in 2018, 2019 and 2021.

“We always look forward to this match and the rivalry we’ve built,” Marist coach Jordan Vidovic said of facing the Redwings. “The conference is a focus of ours and we put a lot of stake in it.”

That rivalry with Benet has been enhanced with a pair of Class 4A state semifinal matches. Marist won in 2018 en route to its second straight state championship. The Redwings turned the tables in 2019 and went on to capture the state title that season.

Last week, it was all RedHawks as they won their final regular season home match in dominating fashion. Bella Bullington and Kamryn Chaney each had eight kills in the victory.

“It was a fun match,” Bullington, a sophomore outside hitter said. “I just think when everyone on the team is dialed in we can focus on bigger matches like this.”

After playing as a freshman on the varsity last season, Bullington has settled into being a force on a team with a lot of firepower.

“I just keep my head on and do the best I can out there on the floor,” said Bullington, who added three aces and six digs. “I just have a better idea of what my role would be on the floor this season. I’m just super excited to be out there.”

Senior right side hitter Elise Ward walloped seven kills and added two blocks, Senior middle blockers Emilia Batus and Ufuoma Omene both had three kills and two blocks, while sophomore setter Francesca LaCoco added 11 assists, and freshman libero Elayna Davidson had 12 digs for the RedHawks.

“It’s a pretty big confidence booster,” Bullington said. “We just have to make sure we do this in all of our matches coming up the rest of the season.”

On Oct. 13, the RedHawks traveled to Lyons and came away with a 25-21, 25-19 victory.

Ward had eight kills and a pair of blocks, while Chaney clubbed eight kills and added three aces. Berry contributed18 assists and had seven digs, while Davidson also added 12 digs.

“It was a nice win coming off of the Benet match, for which there is always a lot of build-up to,” Vidovic said. “So to refocus and get a win on the road was a good test. We learned more that will help us down the road just like these last few tough matches and tournaments and that will be our focus heading into the final week of the regular season.”

Marist (25-7 through Oct. 15) could face the Lions (25-5 through Oct. 15) on the same court in the Lyons Sectional semifinals, scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 31.

Marist will look for its ninth consecutive regional title and will open the postseason by hosting its own regional, starting at approximately 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 25 against either Juarez or Hubbard.

The regional title match will be at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27 against the winner of the Reavis and Stagg semifinal.