St. Charles North wins 4A sectional title for first time since 2017
The North Stars defeated Burlington Central in two sets on Thursday, securing a berth in the Fremd Supersectional against Libertyville.
By Robert Marshall ·
St. Charles North girls volleyball defeated Burlington Central 25-13, 25-19 on Thursday night to claim its first Class 4A sectional title since 2017.
The victory gives the North Stars a record of 25-14 and a spot in the Fremd Supersectional. They will face Libertyville, who is 38-1, at 6 p.m. Monday.
St. Charles North won in straight sets for the third time in its last 12 matches. The team overcame a mid-game deficit in the second set to take control.
Burlington Central led 9-5 in the second set after an ace from Gabby Alesi. St. Charles North junior Brynn Hopkins responded with two kills. Teammate Ellie Sutter added her seventh kill of the match to tie the set at 10-10.
Coach Lindsey Hawkins noted that Burlington Central began serving more aggressively, which disrupted the North Stars' serve receive. She observed that her team did not become tense during the rally.
Consecutive aces from Holly Wilson gave St. Charles North a 16-14 lead in the second set. The North Stars did not trail by more than three points after that moment.
Sutter finished with a team-high 10 kills. Mya Mikos recorded seven kills for St. Charles North.
The North Stars started the first set with a 10-2 lead after an ace from Addie Kashuba. Middle blockers Molly Meshenky and Maddy Lewis contributed early blocks.
Meshenky delivered three blocks in the first six points of the match. Lewis added a block and a kill on consecutive points to extend the lead to 14-4.
Hawkins, who has coached the program since 2009, met with Meshenky at the start of the season to discuss her potential. Meshenky finished the night with four blocks and three kills.
"I took it to heart," Meshenky said. "Just went with every practice, went out, did my hardest. If I didn't have a good day, I just forgot about what was on the outside and really tried to do it for the team."
Burlington Central finished its first season in Class 4A with a 30-8 record. The Rockets won their third consecutive regional title and posted their first 30-win season since 2015. LaRaiya Duncan recorded two kills. Senior Ainsley Wilson had two blocks in the second set. Burlington Central coach Julia Smagacz said her team played from behind for most of the season but played better in the second set.
