THUNDERSTRUCK
Andrew stuns Sandburg in 4A sectional semifinal
The spike was clean. It went down with authority.
Andrew junior Amber Gahse stepped back from the net with a puzzled look. She appeared almost unsure of what had just happened.
She put down the winning kill against Sandburg. On Sandburg’s home court.
Her teammates most definitely let her know.
“I think I was in shock,” Gahse said. “I think I was like, ‘Wow. My team did this. We put this together. We won.’ ”
The emotions were many Monday night after the Thunderbolts’ 25-23, 25-23 victory in a Class 4A sectional semifinal match.
Colleen Cleary contributed 11 kills and nine digs for Andrew (22-12). Gahse added eight kills and four blocks, Brooke Haggerty had 23 digs and Katie DeHaan notched 29 assists and 19 digs.
Claire Hildebrand led Sandburg (21-17) with six kills. Sidona Rao added five kills and six digs, Reilly Chausse had seven digs and Keira Fitzgerald dished 10 assists.
Andrew will play Bolingbrook at 6 p.m. Wednesday for the sectional championship.
How excited were the Thunderbolts after their victory? It’s not often a team gathers for a photo after a semifinal.
“Sandburg has been our rival for literally years,” Cleary said. “We lost to them in 2019 for the sectional championship.
“To beat them to go to the sectional championship, on their home court, was huge.”
No one was more huge when it counted than Gahse.
In Game 1, the two teams were tied at 20-20 when Gahse put Andrew in front for good with a beautifully placed shot to the right corner.
In Game 2, Gahse again used finesse to break a 23-23 tie with a tip from the right side. She was in the same place for the winning kill
that followed.
Gahse, a 6-foot middle hitter, isn’t afraid to roam.
“Ever since I started volleyball in third grade, I was always the tallest,” Gahse said. “I’ve been playing middle my whole career.
“At the end, I just went to the right side so I could get the ball over. I was like, ‘I need this ball go to over.’ ”
Even if she didn’t realize it immediately afterward, she did it with confidence.
“I’ve grown a lot,” Gahse said. “With both my personality and as a player, I’ve learned that hard work doesn’t come easy. You have to put it in.”
It’s certainly become clear to Cleary. “She wasn’t super confident before,” Cleary said of Gahse. “Now, we all look to Amber. When we’re down we’re like, ‘Set Amber, set Amber.’ She’s just way too quick for the other teams to keep up with.”
Cleary was ultraconfident as well. Although most of her rocket shots were from the outside, she converted a handful by swooping down from the middle of the back row.
“The pipe?” Cleary said, smiling. “I love that play.”
The plays came just often enough for Andrew, especially in the clutch.
Sandburg coach David Vales was more than willing to recognize it.
“I give them credit,” Vales said. “I thought having it on our floor we’d have a little advantage. But give kudos to Andrew for never quitting. They never felt they were down or would be shaken.
“All the credit just goes to Andrew. There was not much more we could have adjusted.”
Bolingbrook 26-25, Lockport 24-19: Grace Juergens paced Lockport (31-7) with eight kills. Megan Consigny contributed six kills, while Ava Theoharis had nine digs and Cameryn DeBlecourt added 11 assists.
The loss brought to an end a remarkable 25-match winning streak for the Porters.
“It’s tough to take it all in now,” Lockport coach Nick Mraz said. “We wanted more. But I knew with Bolingbrook it would be a tough draw.
“There were many coaches and people in the volleyball world who were like, ‘How are you all keeping on winning?’ We didn’t have those top club players. But they played as a team. They played with grit. That’s how we did it all.”