Girls Volleyball: Marist downs Sandburg in thriller

Updated: November 3, 2011 8:59PM

Because Kirsten Ivkovic was just in time, the third time was Marist time Thursday in a thrilling 28-26, 26-24 victory over Sandburg in the Class 4A Andrew Sectional title match.

The victory boosts Marist (33-6) into Saturday’s Hinsdale South Supersectional and a rematch from last season with Lyons.

Mallory Salis led the way for the RedHawks with 14 kills and 10 digs. Elyse Panick contributed six kills and 12 kills, Kelly Marcinek six kills and 12 digs, Rachel Dalton four blocks, Carolyn Yerkes 10 digs and Ashley Holder 26 assists and 10 digs.

Sandburg (32-7) was led by Dakota Hampton (8 kills, 10 digs), Kara Kentner (8 kills, 8 assists), Kendall Riechman (14 digs) and Meghan Hutchinson (5 kills).

Ivkovic finished with five kills for Marist, and two of them couldn’t have come at bigger times.

Sandburg, which trailed 23-19 at one point in Game 1, rallied to go in front 25-24 on a kill by Kentner. Ivkovic, from the middle, responded for Marist with a tip to the floor.

Moments later, Sandburg again seized the advantage on a kill by Hampton. Again, it was Ivkovic responding for Marist with another soft shot to the floor.

A Sandburg hitting error then put the RedHawks on top, and Dalton closed the game out with a block.

“I tried to look for the open spots, I guess,” Ivkovic said of her game-saving heroics. “There’s nothing else you can do in a situation like that, except to try and put the ball down.”

The four-point lead by Marist in Game 1 was the largest either team would enjoy all night. Game 2 was another nail-biter, again seeing Sandburg rally late.

It was 23-20 RedHawks when Kristy Theisen tipped for kill for the Eagles. This time they would claw their way back into a 24-all tie, before Salis and Panick went back to back for Marist to put the RedHawks in a super mood.

The win also avenged two regular-season losses to Sandburg.

“Sandburg played an awesome game. They’re a great team,” Salis said of the vanquished Eagles. “They came out strong, but we knew it was going to be a battle. We focused in practice on what we had to do, and we did what we had to do.”

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