VANDALIA — The Rochester volleyball team flipped the switch in the second set.
It even grabbed a 22-21 lead following sophomore Katie Riedle’s match-high fourth ace.
Except Columbia’s Ava Mathews and Kinley Jany spurred the Eagles to their first state berth since 2005 and second overall with a 25-16, 25-22 win over the Rockets in the Class 2A Vandalia Supersectional on Monday, Nov. 10.
Columbia (37-1) advances to the 2A state semifinals against Rockford Christian on Friday, Nov. 14 at CEFCU Arena in Normal.
Jany found the soft spot in the middle to cap a thrilling second set.
“I’ve never been a hitter that puts the ball down, I always just kind of hit my spots,” Jany said. “When I went up, I was just like, ‘I’m going to go straight for the middle and see where it gets me.”
The Eagles had lost just six sets the entire year, but Jany said, “From the start of postseason, we told ourselves … it was really just a new season.”
This was just Rochester’s third-ever supersectional appearance and first since 2013. The Rockets were also vying for their first state berth since 2006 and second overall.
“This team has just been something special,” said senior hitter Hadleigh Maley. “I’m just so lucky to be a part of it and I’m just really proud of all the girls. I feel like this is a great way to go out. Obviously state would’ve been awesome, but I just feel very happy that I got to go out with a bang with this team.”
Rochester (29-9) faded in the first set but quickly rebounded after the break. The Rockets led as much as 12-6 in the second set following three straight aces from Riedle.
“She’s our youngest player,” Rochester coach Kallie Green said. “She saw varsity time last year. For her, this has been a really good year for her to settle in and continue to prove herself just like everyone else had to as a team and she showed up big time.
“When she went back there, she was playing with full confidence and she showed everyone that she’s got it.”
Jany, though, reversed the momentum with six straight service points herself. Ava Mathews summoned seven kills and 14 assists. Sophomore Marly Mathews had nine kills.
“My mindset was really just serve the ball in and let my team do the work honestly,” Jany said. “I trusted my team to get the pass and I know our team can hit, so I was like, get the ball in and don’t make that mistake and then my team can put the ball away.”
Rochester staged a late rally of its own until Ava Mathews delivered back-to-back points.
“We just really worked together as a team and we knew that we had to fight,” Maley said. “If we wanted a different outcome in that set, we knew we would just have to work together and let that first set go. We just needed to push a little bit quicker than we did (in the first set).”
Junior hitter Peyton Zeidler paced the Rockets with eight kills. Junior setter Cam Tinder posted 13 assists on a largely young lineup.
“We don’t have experience being in this situation, so it just came with showing up and believing,” Green said of the playoff run. “Every game we did that, and they believed it could happen tonight, too. It just didn’t go our way. This is supers, this is big time. We’ve never been here before, so I’m proud of what they’ve accomplished all season.”
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Rochester’s late rally comes up short against Columbia in 2A volleyball supersectional
Reporting by Bill Welt, Springfield State Journal-Register / State Journal-Register
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
