Ready to leave 2007 behind

It would be premature to declare that Jacksonville High volleyball is back to the level of excellence it once enjoyed. But the Crimsons sure are leaving their dismal 2007 in the dust.

That’s pretty much where they left visiting Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin, too.

In both teams’ 2008 Central State Eight opener Tuesday, Jacksonville (2-1) easily took game one, 25-16, then rallied from an early eight-point deficit to snatch the second game, 25-21.

That’s 1-0 in CS8 play, with SHG (1-2, 0-1 CS8) already out of the way.

“It’s pretty amazing,” said junior hitter Brittney Burgess, whose eight kills led Jacksonville. “It feels awesome. Everyone was having fun and it’s a good win.”

Third-year head coach Paula Stewart said her girls held a private, players-only meeting prior to Tuesday’s game.

“Whatever they said to each other, it worked,” said Stewart. “Because, oh boy, they really came out to play.”

A difference maker on this year’s team is six-foot, two-inch freshman Abby Heise. A setter/middle hitter, Heise had the Crimsons’ best all-around night, going for a team-high 11 service points, 11 assists, four kills, five digs and four blocks, also a team high. Heise joins the 6-1 Burgess, 6-0 sophomore Jassamayn Criss and 5-11 outside hitters Kate Fox and Nichole Chatham to make a dynamic, imposing rotation at the net.

“Abby Heise is like a beast up there,” said Burgess. “We’ve definitely got a lot of height this year. We’ve got a lot of everything. A lot of hands. A lot of defense. Just, a lot of everything.”

Jacksonville took a quick 4-0 lead in game one behind the serving of senior Alyssa Jackson, and never trailed. Though the Blazers were able to pull within 18-14 after much effort, the Crimsons hammered right back with six straight points, including two kills by Burgess and a block by sophomore Nichole Chatham. A bit later, Chatham secured game point with a soft push over the net that caught SHG off guard.

“We’ve really been working hard,” said Chatham, who finished with three kills, a block, two assists, two points and seven digs. “We’re putting in long hours and we’re coming out good.”

SHG’s Rachel Jennings served up seven straight points to stake her side to an 8-0 lead in game two. But during a timeout, Stewart got her girls relaxed and focused again.

“The one thing we’ve been trying to drive home is, ‘So what if you’re behind? There’s 25 points in a game,’” Stewart said. “We had game one under our belt. So I needed to remind them of that. Chill out, relax, play the game that you know how to play. We’re really pushing them to have fun. It’s fun to run the plays, including many of the defensive plays that you saw tonight.”

Jacksonville’s defense sparkled Tuesday, particularly during the team’s game-two comeback. Junior Brooke Beets made a scintillating, diving dig to keep one ball alive until the Crimsons won that point to get within 10-8. Beets finished with a match-high 16 digs, barely ahead of senior libero Hannah Freeman’s 15.

Solid defense enabled the Crimsons to keep a steady attack on the Blazers. There were two- and three-point rallies when SHG could catch Jacksonville scrambling more than it wanted to, but no opening remained an opening for long. The Crimson defense showed an ability to stretch, and to quickly snap back into place.

Said Chatham, “We worked in practice on covering those middle holes. We’re working really hard to cover everything. Also, we’ve been working forever on those tips, and we’ve got it.”

Jacksonville’s next CS8 match will be Tuesday, Sept. 16 against Taylorville at the JHS Bowl. Before that, the Crimsons will travel on Thursday to take on Quincy High, then will host their annual Jacksonville Varsity Invitational this Saturday.