Westmont's size too much for St. Benedict

St. Benedict's Linda Arquilla bumps a shot during the Bengals' IHSA Class 2A sectional semifinal against Westmont at Luther North last Thursday.
(Joel Wintermantle/For Pioneer Press)

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In the Class 2A sectional at Luther North, St. Benedict tried valiantly to oust a powerful Westmont team but fell 25-13, 25-17. Westmont's size up front was too much for the Bengals to handle.

St. Benedict took control early in the match after a plethora of Becky Guyon serves baffled the Westmont players. Westmont's Stephanie Andrews countered with a pair of kills and midway through the first match the Sentinels (24-11) held a slim 13-12 lead, but they quickly pulled away for the win.

The Bengals refused to quit in the second match as Ayo Avery provided the spark with some pivotal digs. A spate of Adriana Kowalski serves kept St. Benedict in the game.

The Sentinels' Sara Sternard keyed a late Westmont surge with dominant play at the net to lead them to victory.

"We didn't serve-receive well," Bengals' head coach Dave Funkhouser said. "When we put it in play, we hit it well."

Avery led the way with five kills and Kowalski added three kills. Erin Lahti had two aces and Guyon added an ace of her own.

"We didn't get the ball to our setters well enough. We're good, they were better," Funkhouser added.

Inspired play by Avery, Kowalski and company was the foundation for a regional championship and an impressive 19-9-1 record for the season.

This Westmont team had the luxury of extensive tryouts with a large group of athletes from which, while the story is much different at St. Benedict.

"We don't have tryouts, we just take whoever shows up," Funkhouser said. "(Westmont's) been playing together for a long time."

Heading into their daunting showdown with Westmont, Funkhouser kept his girls prepared by telling them to stay positive.

"I talk to them positively," he said. "You can't bring anything negatively into it. I tell them how well they've played the whole year."

Funkhouser is trying to make a difference in the city by providing a camp that gives young volleyball players in the city a chance to hone and develop their skills in the off-season.

"I run a Pass 2 Kill camp in the summer," Funkhouser said. "This is our fourth season doing it. We work in June and July to get ready for the season. Last year we had 42 girls in the camp from 18 different city schools."

Some key performers returning to the Bengals' squad next season include Renee Pruente, Amanda Genge, Heather Obmann and Kowalski.