Girls Volleyball: St Francis breezes past Metamora

Updated: November 5, 2011 4:04PM

Heading into the supersectional volleyball match between St. Francis and Metmora, the two teams seemed even on paper. Unfortunately for Metamora, the match was decided on the court.

St. Francis (34-6) buzzed through the Redbirds 25-12, 25-8 on its way to a state berth in Normal. St. Francis opened the game with an aggressive net attack Metamora (35-4) could not reciprocate or slow down.

“The (St. Francis) net play was outstanding,” Metamora coach Karla Bartman said. “They have a lot of great players, and they really spread the ball around.”

Daiva Wise (six kills, two blocks) and Haley Gable (eight kills, four blocks) set the tone early in each set for St Francis. Wise controlled the first set with two kills and a block to put St. Francis up 6-0. From there, the Spartans found little resistance as they cruised to a 25-12 first game victory.

The second set belonged to Gable. Gable registered four kills in the first 10 points to give St. Francis a 9-1 lead. The fourth kill came immediately after a Metamora timeout, visibly knocking the wind from their sails.

“That’s pretty close to the best game we’ve played all season,” Gable said. “We definitely feel like we’re peaking at the right time. I couldn’t have asked for anything more.”

St. Francis came into the Lincoln-Way West Supersectional match after a fervent victory over Joliet Catholic; the team that eliminated them from last years playoffs.

“After beating Joliet Catholic in such an emotional game, we felt like it was important not to look past a good team like Metamora,” St. Francis coach Peg Kopec said. “Keeping focus can be a tricky thing in the playoffs, but our team has really grown as the year has progressed.”

Senior hitter Kristin Rauh led Metamora with three kills.

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