Benet’s Brooklynne Brass had an ice bag strapped to each of her knees after the Class 4A West Aurora Sectional championship match on Thursday.
It was nothing to worry about, though. The junior outside hitter ices her knees after every match, usually after icing the opponent.
“She’s been dominant pretty much all season,” Benet coach Brad Baker said. “She’s a big-time player, and she comes through when we need her.”
The top-seeded Redwings sure needed Brass in the second set against second-seeded St. Charles North, which led by as many as six points and didn’t trail until the 49th point.
Brass landed eight of her 13 kills, two of which erased set points, and a block during that set to lead Benet to a 25-18, 28-26 victory.
“It was really good because you just always have someone out there that we can trust,” Benet senior libero Aniya Warren said. “If we put the ball up there for her, we know she’s going to go get it.
“She touches really high, she’s really athletic and she can pretty much go out there and can kill any ball that’s given to her.”
That was almost literally the case. Brass did her damage while making just two hitting errors, which is remarkable considering how often she swung.
But Brass, a Maryland commit, was quick to share credit for the win, which sends the Redwings (38-1) to the St. Charles North Supersectional to play New Trier (26-6) at 6 p.m. Monday.
“It’s just our team,” she said. “The way that we pass, the way that we set, nothing is able to happen without those skills. We delivered that, which helped us get the win tonight.”
Indeed, Benet’s back row withstood the attacks from junior outside hitter Haley Burgdorf, a Penn State commit who led all players with 20 kills. The rest of the North Stars (32-7), however, combined for just five kills.
Warren, a Purdue commit, had 11 digs. Senior back-liners Morgan Asleson, a Dayton commit, and Ava Ledebuhr had nine and five digs, respectively. Brass chipped in four digs.
That defense, and a determined mindset, enabled the Redwings to overcome deficits of 20-14, 23-19 and 24-22.
“We know it’s on us to go out there and compete and fight every single point, no matter what the score is,” Warren said. “It’s a new opportunity every single time the ball crosses the net.”
Brass scored four of Benet’s last eight points. Her back-to-back kills erased the 24-22 deficit, and her last kill staved off the third set point.
The last of Southern Mississippi-bound senior outside hitter Keira O’Donnell’s seven kills erased the fourth set point. Warren then served the final two points, both of which resulted in errors by the North Stars.
“St. Charles North is a good team,” Brass said. “I felt like our intensity really carried us through. It was a tight match, but we kept our composure. We continued to stay calm and just do what we do.”
How did the Redwings stay calm?
“I think it’s the trust in our teammates,” Brass said. “We trust each other and know that we will get the result of getting a pass or getting a serve or getting a hit.”
That’s the sign of a veteran team.
“You have a team that’s mature, it’s older and they’ve all been in these situations,” Baker said. “This isn’t a new situation, being down in a match. You’ve got to throw the scoreboard away and try to get one point at a time.”
Sectional titles are nothing new for the Redwings, who have won 12, all since 2008. But Brass was playing in a sectional final for the first time. The Minooka transfer didn’t make it past the sectional semifinals during her first two years of high school.
“It feels amazing,” Brass said. “It feels great.”
The Redwings feel great about Brass, who has fit in seamlessly with her new teammates.
“It’s a really good group of girls, and they did an excellent job of making her feel comfortable,” Baker said. “Brook is a great kid. She’s easy to like.”
Warren agrees.
“We all love Brooklynne,” she said. “We just are happy that she came.
“She’s very fun to be around. She always has a smile on her face and is just going after it.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.
