The volleyball gets to the ceiling at Marist pretty fast and very often.
Nobody plays it better than senior setter Maddie Berry. But it’s amusing to watch her go about it.
First she shuffles her feet in all directions. Then she waves her hands like they were fan blades set on high. Her eyes dart up, and up, and up. And she always seems to find the ball.
“I mean, the hands thing is to call everyone off like, ‘I’ve got it,’” Berry said. “My feet … I don’t know which way it’s ever going to go.”
The Davenport recruit was in total control Tuesday night for the host RedHawks in a 25-13, 25-16 victory over Lincoln-Way East in a Class 4A Marist Sectional semifinal match in Chicago.
Bella Bullington had 11 kills and five digs for Marist (28-9). Savannah Weathers added six kills, Maggie Kurpeikis contributed five kills and Maryland commit Elayna Davidson made 11 digs.
Kolby Ross and Tamia Maddox each ended up with four kills for Lincoln-Way East (32-6). Kyndal James added three blocks and three kills, while Maggie Simon chipped in with 11 assists.
Marist will play Mother McAuley (33-4) at 6 p.m. Thursday for the sectional title. McAuley beat Homewood-Flossmoor 25-16, 25-16 in the other semifinal match.
Berry moved the ball around with masterful proficiency against the Griffins, earning 21 assists. She also made 11 digs, a few of which came after the ball rattled around in the rafters.
On defense, she looks so frantic. But in reality, she’s got it all under control.
Marist coach Jordan Vidovic has seen it for four seasons.
“That’s what you rely on in an experienced player like that,” Vidovic said. “She keeps everybody else in control and puts everybody in good situations. She knows her job and she knows she has the highest responsibility.
“And we give her the highest level of freedom. She will practice that ball in the ceiling. She’ll tap her feet because knows it’s going to ricochet and she’s going to have to move. She just has a lot of control, and it showed in how well-prepared we were (Tuesday).”
The RedHawks were a much different team than they were Aug. 31 in a 25-20, 25-17 loss to East.
“This match was all about redemption,” Berry said. “We wanted it. We took it. We watched our film against them and knew what we had to do differently. I feel that we used it to our advantage.”
Berry’s senior season has had two major themes.
The RedHawks are still looking for post-season … if not, redemption, then closure. Her freshman season, there was no state tournament due to the pandemic. The past two seasons concluded with losses to McAuley.
“Me and Bella, we kind of need this,” Berry said of the playoffs. “We need to go all the way. Personally, I’ve been working extra hard because I know how hard it’s going to be going forward.
“I want to be at my best potential.”
Hers has also been a season of adapting. With the Northwestern-bound Bullington out of the lineup for a long time with an injury, Berry set for an offense that operated a little bit differently.
When Bullington returned, the old, powerful setter-hitter combo kicked back into gear.
“Without Bella, I felt I had to do a lot more getting everyone to understand what the offense really was,” Berry said. “With Bella back, we could feed off of each other, and help everyone else.”
Bullington didn’t enjoy sitting on the bench, but she did enjoy the view. And now that she’s back with Berry, the dynamic duo is looking to go out in glory.
“We talk about it all the time,” Bullington said. “It’s been a thing with us since freshman year. We are very like-minded, very competitive, very goal-oriented, both of us.
“Right now, it’s one step at a time and one game at a time. I know I’m excited for Thursday and I know she’s excited, too. It’ll be really fun to compete.”
Tony Baranek is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
