By Mark Gregory
Editorial Director
@Hear_The_Beard
mark@buglenewspapers.com
NORMAL – In her final match as an Angel, Joliet Catholic Academy senior Emily Holbrook paced her team with nine kills in a 25-13, 25-18 win over Chicago Latin to take third-place at the IHSA Class 3A state finals at Illinois State University’s Redbird Arena.
It was Holbrook’s second time at state, as she was part of the second-place team her freshman season – but this time, she said, was different.
“It is totally a different experience,” Holbrook said. “As a freshman, I was probably the quietest one and I didn’t really talk to the upper classmen much, but this has been a totally different experience because I have been with my best friends. I am going to miss this team the most out of any of my teams over the four years.”
Senior Emily Holbrook played her final game as an outside hitter, leading JCA to a third-place finish in Class 3A. (Mark Gregory)
The fact that Holbrook paced the team in kills in her final match, as well as on the season with 274 meant a lot to the 5-foot, 8-inch Arizona State University recruit, where she will move to defensive specialist.
“It was awesome ending my high school career as an outside hitter because I won’t be able to do that in college. So, I wanted to end with a bang,” she said. “It was nice to prove myself. Being 5-8, I have always been told I am not tall enough, but when I am in the game, I don’t care who is across the net from me – I know my role and what I have to do and I hope I inspire other people that are short. I don’t want them to think they can’t hit because I did it and I won third in state.”
She not only inspired sub 6-foot players, but she inspired fellow Plainfield native Bella Ray, who at 6-2, is the tallest player
The third-place trophy was the ninth 10th in program history and the ninth in the 19-year career of coach Christine Scheibe.
“My goal when I came to JCA 19 years ago was to build a program,” she said.”I wanted to be [Mother] McAuley because they were the standard at the time,” Scheibe said. “I don’t know if we hit that standard, but we have had the opportunity to give these girls experiences at state and that’s what it is all about. I wanted to this to be a lasting legacy and hopefully it will continue.”
In the state semifinal, JCA (28-14) fell to eventual Class 3A champions Sterling 27-25, 25-20 in a game that Scheibe said the team did not play its best defense.
“We didn’t play our best match [in the semifinal],” Scheibe said. “We were out of system way too much. I don’t think they were serving us particular hard, we just weren’t passing well. We were out of system 20 different times and that is not going to get it done against a team like Sterling that has the weapons they do and we just gave them too many opportunities.”
“I think we did it to ourselves. We made a lot of mistakes on our side,” Holbrook added. [Sterling’s sophomore right side hitter Breelyn Borum] put the ball in the same place and we just could not stop it.”
Gray led Joliet Catholic Academy with nine kills, while Ray added eight and Holbrook four. Holbrook and Hinshaw each had 12 digs, with Hinshaw adding 24 assists.
As all teams are, Scheibe said this group was a unique group.
“I think this group showed tremendous amount of heart and as the year went on, they developed a personality of their own and that is something I think each team needs to develop as the season goes on,” she said. “They had their own identity, a tremendous amount of fight in them and a tremendous amount of love for each other and they came together as a team. I think they are a phenomenal team and I will always remember them as my terminators.”
If this year’s team were terminators, it is only right for the underclassmen to think they will be back.
The Angels had 10 underclassmen on the state roster, six of them sophomores. Of the 10, four players – Ray, sophomore Jillian Gray (8 kills), sophomore Ryan Hinshaw (24 assists) and junior Emma Tacchia all saw time on the floor in the third-place match.
“Having so many underclassmen on the team, it shows us what we can do,” Ray said. “The seniors were such leaders for us this year, but I know the juniors will step up. [That starts] pretty much tomorrow. We have a lot of sophomores on our team, so I am not the only one that is coming back and it will be the whole team leading next year.”