Third Time Meeting With Stevenson is no Charm for Lake Forest

The third time could only be the charm for one team Thursday night.

Stevenson High School overcame two regular-season losses to and a Game 1 loss in to post an 18-25, 25-20 and 25-23 victory at Buffalo Grove High School.

For the second straight year, the Patriots (31-8) will play in the Super-Sectional with a chance to advance to the Class 4A semifinals on Nov. 11 at Illinois State University in Normal. The Scouts (32-4) close the season with one of their deepest state tournament runs in at least a decade.

knew going into the game the Scouts' key to success was putting the tension of playing for a sectional crown for the first time in at least 10 years out of their heads. They lost the battle. 

“We didn’t relax. They (Stevenson) did a better job of it,” Werner said. “We got a little tense in the second and third games and couldn’t shake it. It was a good job by Stevenson. They are a good team."

One Patriot who did exactly what Werner wanted his team to do was Rachel Baader. The junior finished the game with 14 kills after notching 16 in Stevenson’s semifinal victory over Hersey Tuesday.

“Every time they had a big kill, we didn’t let it stop our momentum,” Baader said. “When we had a big kill we just kept building our momentum.” 

Lake Forest setter recognized the difficulties the Scouts had handling the momentum shifts in the game. “We got nervous,” she said. “We tripped up on defense. They were hard to stop.”

With the teams tied at a game each, Lake Forest jumped out to an 11-7 lead in the deciding one. However, Stevenson took a time out and on the next point Michelle Schroeder tipped a ball over the net to narrow the lead to 11-8. She finished the game with two kills and a pair of aces. 

Then it was Liza Pflugradt’s turn to serve. She took the Patriots on a run that secured the match and the championship. She started serving with her team down 11-8 in the third game. By the time she was done, the Patriots led 13-12 and never trailed again. She had five kills and two aces for the night.

Once Stevenson grabbed the lead, Baader took control of the game. Eight of her kills figured in the Patriot's last 13 points. Three were light touch finesse shots.

“Our energy level was unbelievable,” Stevenson Coach Tim Crow said. “We stayed mentally in the game. We figured out their system and accounted for it.” 

Crow believed his team’s two earlier losses to the Scouts helped in the Sectional final.

“It’s tough to beat a good team three times,” Crow said. “I’ve been on both sides of that. It worked in our favor this time.”