Stockton’s experience and composure showed after falling behind early. Key performances from Sadie Johnson and Kaydra Wright fueled the comeback.
NORMAL - For two sets, Stockton and Norris City-Omaha-Enfield traded punches like teams that had no intention of letting their seasons end. But once the third set began, once the Lady Blackhawks grabbed those first three points with the kind of urgency you can feel through the floorboards — something shifted. You could see it on their faces. You could hear it in the crack of their swings. And you could feel the question building around CEFCU Arena: Were they about to seize their moment?
They were.
Stockton (35-5) stormed past NCOE 2-1 on Friday in a Class 1A state semifinal win that turned a tense stalemate into a runaway finish. After dropping the opening set 25-17, the Lady Blackhawks clawed their way through a nail-biting 25-23 second set, planting the seeds of a comeback that fully bloomed in the third. Once they jumped in front 3-0, the match leaned sharply their way, and never leaned back. Stockton closed out the decider 25-13, punching its ticket into Saturday morning’s championship match.
That surge wasn’t subtle, it was a hammer hitting its mark.
Sadie Johnson led the effort with 14 kills and eight digs, providing the steady presence Stockton needed whenever the Cardinals made a push. Taylor Haas added nine kills and three block assists, helping disrupt NCOE’s rhythm at the net, while three more teammates — Kaydra Wright, Emma Eisfeller and Ireland Mensendike, each delivered five kills to deepen the attack.
Defense cleaned up everything behind them, with Natalee Sullivan covering 19 digs and extending rallies that Stockton’s offense eventually turned into points. Wright set the entire operation in motion with 30 assists, finding hot hands and keeping NCOE’s blockers guessing.
But if Stockton’s performance felt big, it had to, the moment was big. This is only the second state finals appearance in program history, and last year’s run ended one step short in the title match. That loss stayed with them, quietly sharpening their focus for another shot. And as the third set stretched on, you could almost sense the past getting rewritten in real time.
NCOE (38-2), making the fourth state finals appearance in school history and their first since taking third in 2022, came out strong behind Sydnee Sauls’ 12 kills and eight digs. Hayden Knight added 10 kills as the Cardinals controlled much of the first set. But when Stockton answered in the second, momentum found a new home and didn’t leave.
The Cardinals will face Tremont for third place after the Turks fell to Cissna Park in straight sets earlier in the day.
Stockton now turns its attention toward the biggest stage of all. The Lady Blackhawks will meet Cissna Park in the Class 1A state title match at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, a moment they’ve chased since the heartbreak of last November.
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TAGS: Stockton vs NCOE Class 1A semifinal volleyball recap, Illinois high school volleyball state finals 2024 Stockton, NCOE Cardinals volleyball postseason performance analysis, Stockton Lady Blackhawks road to Class 1A state title match, CEFCU Arena Class 1A volleyball championship preview
