Dominate play helps SJO roll Danville

(St. Joseph) - Kennedi Burnett served 15 consecutive points in set 2 of St. Joseph-Ogden's volleyball match against Danville on Wednesday. Behind the senior's pinpoint serving and a strong offensive team effort, the Spartans prevailed 25-10, 25-7, on their home court.

Abby Burnett celebrates a point for the Spartans.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

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"It is good for her to go on those kinds of runs," said SJO head coach Abby McDonald, who pointed out Burnett delivered a similar performance against St. Teresa earlier in the season. "We talk a lot about what she can do for us offensively, but she provides a lot for us defensively in the back row as well. It is good for her to build confidence because there will be moments, hopefully in the postseason and as we get closer, that we will need her to be consistent behind the end line."

Burnett, who hit four aces and delivered six kills over the two-set match, left the backline after the Spartans built a 17-1 lead in the final set. McDonald's team would engineer 3 three-point runs for the remainder of the set for the 25-7 victory.

Earlier in the first set, taking advantage of a weak defensive response from visiting Vikings, St. Joseph-Ogden jumped out to an 11-3 lead before their opponents called a timeout in hopes of initiating a momentum shift. Fourteen exchanges later with the score at 20-8, both teams were back on the sidelines after Danville burned another timeout.

"Our goal was to make sure we stayed quick, offensively and defensively, no matter what our opponent was giving us," said St. Joseph-Ogden head coach Abby McDonald. "That was our goal tonight was just make sure we were staying quick and not playing to anybody else's tempo. I thought they did a nice job of that throughout the duration of the whole match."

Addie Roesch, also a senior, contributed five kills and junior Shayne Immke pounded four of her own. Roesch and Burnett were responsible for 10 digs for their team with four and six respectively. Immke also served up an ace for the Spartan cause.

After tonight's match with St. Thomas More, the SJO volleyball team will travel to Urbana on Monday and host Unity at home in the main gym on Tuesday. McDonald's Spartans will finish out the week on a long road trip to Pontiac for another Illini Prairie Conference match on Thursday, September 23.