Natalie Kent was in fifth grade when she first set foot in Illinois State’s Redbird Arena.
She was there to watch her cousin, Megan Melone, play for Joliet Catholic in the girls volleyball state finals.
Melone was a setter who captained the Angels to back-to-back Class 3A state runner-up finishes in 2014 and 2015. Watching her planted a seed in Kent’s mind.
“Ever since then, I wanted to make it to Redbird,” Kent said. “I said this had to happen.”
And it did.
Kent grew up to be a stalwart in the back row for the Angels, equaling her cousin’s feat of being a part of two teams that made it to Redbird Arena.
While Kent didn’t see any action when Joliet Catholic finished third in 2019, she entered this weekend with 212 digs and got on the court in both matches.
Kent capped her career coming off the bench Saturday in a 25-20, 26-24 loss to Normal West in the 3A third-place match. The 5-foot-5 senior defensive specialist went 7-for-7 in serve receive and made two digs.
“Just being out there my senior year, to end my career that way, was amazing,” Kent said. “The nervousness, the excitement when I was first getting out there, it was incredible.”
What made the weekend particularly special for Kent was Melone showing up Friday for the 25-21, 25-15 semifinal loss to eventual state champion Nazareth.
“I actually got a phone call from her the night after we beat Metamora in the supersectional,” Kent said. “I hadn’t seen her in a while, so to see her down here, where I used to be watching her, it was great.”
Kent wears No. 5, as did Melone. She got some sage advice from her cousin.
“She said, ‘Go out there and show them you — be you,'” Kent said. “Everyone on the team, we put all we could into these games.”
Kent didn’t play in the first game against Normal West, but she entered in time to help the Angels (27-15) rally from a six-point deficit in the second game.
She was on the court as the Angels staved off two match points, the second coming on an ace from Sam Horn, to pull into a 24-24 tie.
Averie Hernandez, who led all players with 16 kills, answered with a kill and Ashlyn Hicks followed with a block for kill to win it for Normal West (34-7).
That didn’t diminish the feeling of accomplishment Kent felt.
“I was so excited to play Angel volleyball,” she said. “I’ve been waiting for it since I was little, watching Megan play, and then to be here was just incredible.
“This was my last match. This was the end of it for me.”
Kent has decided not to play in college. She plans to major in elementary education, hoping to become a teacher and perhaps a coach one day.
She also comes from a family with diverse talents. Her older sister, Lindsay, is a senior at Columbia College in Chicago who is the lead vocalist of The Millennials, a classic rock band that plays covers as well as its own material.
Surely, Kent has given her sibling something to sing about.
Senior outside Crystal Galaviz, a Georgia State recruit and Romeoville transfer who led the Angels with seven kills Saturday, also lauded Kent.
“I transferred here last year and it was really nice to be welcomed by the entire team,” Galaviz said. “Natalie just stuck out because it was more than just being welcomed.
“It was more of her taking me and making me a part of their family, and I think in general that has been the theme for this team. It’s about rising to the occasion and falling back on the training and love that we have for each other.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.
