Trevians up and down the roster get in on the sectional-championship fun

If practice makes perfect, then practicing finishes must make perfect finishes.

New Trier put that amended mantra into effect Thursday night, scoring the final five points in a 26-28, 25-19, 25-20 victory against DePaul College Prep in an IHSA Class 4A sectional championship at Glenbrook South.

“We did a great job finishing it off,” Trevians junior Kate Andersons said. “Honestly, the last points were a blur, but we pulled through. We have worked in practice on finishing, like the last five points, a lot. So we did a great job just ending the game.”

Andersons had three of her nine kills within New Trier’s final seven points. Senior Calia Cremascoli added two kills in the stretch, and her fifth block of the match won match point and kick-started the celebration.

The victory gave the Trevians their third consecutive sectional championship and pushed them into Class 4’s final eight and a supersectional date with Benet Academy at 7 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 10, at Bartlett High School. The Redwings are a top-ranked team in the state and have finished second in Class 4A for three straight seasons.

As for the Trevians sectional triumph, the match got off to an inauspicious start with the Rams taking a 7-1 lead in the first set.

Slow starts followed by resilient turnarounds have been common in New Trier’s successful playoff run — a trend that aligns well with the team’s season mantra.

“Relentless is our theme this season,” Trevians coach Hannah Hsieh said. “Throughout the entire season there have been so many moments where we have been down and the girls just fought and chipped away and came back. I’m so proud of their mental toughness to be able to do that. They will not give up.”

It took some time, but New Trier fought back in the first set to tie things at 14-14, and then battled with the Rams until the end before succumbing 28-26.

The second set didn’t start out much better, as DePaul grabbed a 5-1 lead before the Trevians got on track.

A Cremascoli kill tied things at 8-8, and a side out later, the Trevians went on a 5-0 run to grab control en route to a 25-19 win.

New Trier’s depth was on display all match, but especially in Set 2. Five different Trevians posted at least two kills with Serena Bauer and Harper Payne recording three apiece.

On the night, six Trevians finished with at least four kills, including senior Grace O’Rourke (6 kills), who started at middle opposite Cremascoli.

“I was just excited for whatever was going to happen,” O’Rourke said of stepping into the lineup. “I didn’t feel any pressure, I guess. I just went into it to see what happens.”

New Trier also got contributions from nonregulars Charlie Cohen, a junior middle, and Olivia Sylvester, a sophomore right side who was recently brought up to varsity and recorded two big blocks in the final set.

While Bauer and Andersons led the way with 9 kills apiece, Payne added 6 and Morgan Zibell 4. Delaney Maher had two aces, as did Sophia Farina.

The well-rounded performance suits the Trevians identity, Hsieh said.

“It just speaks to what volleyball is about,” she said. “I tell the girls that it is the most team sport I could think of. You cannot rely on one person. They are all reliant on each other.

“It’s not about the girls you see on the floor. It’s the entire squad, practicing day in and out to make our team better, and I don’t think you can be successful if you just have a top six.”

In the final set, the Trevians and Rams put together a classic, going punch for punch most of the way. From 0-0 to 20-20, the largest lead for either team was two points (10-8 New Trier after a Maher ace and 15-13 Rams).

But in those final moments, New Trier’s front line came through with a match-winning five-point burst.

Among the eight teams remaining in Class 4A, New Trier is the only one not seeded No. 1 or 2 in its sectional. The secret, Andersons summized, is poise.

“We’ve practiced really hard. We’ve put everything we got in,” she said. “We’ve all come in to every game with a really calm composure, and I think that really helps because we’re not tense or built up.”

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