Ryan Ostry
Bugle Reporter
@RyanOstry_BR18
rostry@buglenewspapers.com
Getting to the IHSA state finals is nothing new to Joliet Catholic Academy, however, the Angels missed out on a trip to Bloomington the last two years.
The team will return this season after defeating St. Laurence 25-11, 25-7 to claim the Rich East Supersectional championship.
JCA started off the first match with high energy getting behind senior leaders outside hitter Emily Holbrook and Libero Molly Hibner, and never looked back after seemingly getting to every ball and blocking an array of Viking swings.
In the second set, the Angels got off to a blazing 10-1 start behind the likes of sophomore outside hitter Jillian Gray and never looked back from there.
Coach Christine Schiebe’s group, which has lacked height in recent years, does not have that issue this year, as JCA (27-13) features four girls that stand 6 feet in height or taller.
(Photo by Ryan Ostry)
Junior middle blocker Bella Ray, led her team with 14 kills and three blocks on the night.
“I’ve never been on a team where we have all meshed so well together,” Ray said. “We all love each other so much and that’s why we are so successful.”
Ray has led the No. 24 ranked Angels all season, but has certainly had some help along the way from her teammates.
On Friday night, Gray (six kills), Holbrook (six kills), sophomore setter Ryan Hinshaw (19 assists, two blocks, two aces), Hibner (16 digs) and senior Right side hitter Sophie Krzysciak (10 digs) all got into the mix.
Schiebe credited the success to the collaboration of her team, but also said that the veteran leadership has sparked her club all season long.
“The seniors have been fantastic this year,” Schiebe said. “They have had this in their minds that this is something that they have wanted, and they have held their teammates accountable and have seen things they didn’t like going on and called them together.
“The night before the playoffs started I walked into the gym and my whole team was upstairs having a senior called meeting that I had no idea what it was about, I didn’t ask and that was them doing their thing and making it their own.”
This will be Schiebe’s ninth time in her career going to the state finals, and she said that she enjoys the challenge of working with new girls every year and living vicariously through their enjoyment.
“It’s a different experience every time because it’s a different group of girls every time,” Schiebe said. “Getting to see it through their eyes something new you just hope they get the chance to experience it and I’ve been lucky at JCA to have the talent I have had and the support from the parents I’ve had to be able to do it for this long and to have the success we have had.”
The Angels will look to add to Schiebe’s legacy when they take on the 39-1 and 12th ranked Sterling Golden Warriors at 4 p.m. Friday at Illinois State University’s Redbird Arena.