Focus, determination and a balanced attack gave No. 2 Naperville Central a significant edge as it rolled to a Class AA regional crown Saturday night.
The host Redhawks (33-4) took just 36 minutes to handle upstart Benet 25-9, 25-11 as outside hitter Tara Hester and middle Caitlin Staib each collected eight kills.
“We’re just coming out here and giving it our all every point, no matter who we’re playing,” Hester said. “They had nothing to lose and they came out scrappy and excited. We couldn’t let our guard down at all.”
Leading 6-5 in Game 1, Naperville Central used a 10-1 run to break away as Hester picked up a kill and two aces.
And in Game 2, the Redhawks’ 9-8 lead ballooned into a 22-8 advantage with a combination of their own efficient play and Redwings errors.
Hester added 12 digs while setter Jessica Yanz turned in a complete game of her own with 19 assists, five kills, 10 digs and a block.
Benet (8-28-1), which started three freshmen, was led by senior Brittani Rendini’s three kills.
Saturday’s victory sends the Redhawks into Tuesday’s Class AA Neuqua Valley sectional semifinals.
