SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The Stewardson (Trinity) Cardinals won the school’s third Lutheran Sports Association of Illinois (LSA) state championship last weekend.
The 36th Annual Lutheran Sports Association of Illinois Championship Volleyball Tournament was held at Lincoln Land Community College in Springfield. It lasted three days.
Sixteen teams competed at the tournament, each divided into four pools, and bracket play started afterward.
Trinity defeated the Rockford (Lutheran Junior High) Crusaders, the Edwardsville (Trinity) Eagles, and the Morton (Bethel) Flames in pool play.
The Cardinals defeated Rockford in two sets (25-15, 25-15), Edwardsville in two sets (25-18, 25-15), and Morton in two sets (25-12, 25-15). Gia Bostedo had 20 points, six service aces, one kill, 34 assists, and three digs. Cora Reed had seven points, four service aces, 17 assists, and one dig. Kalia Friese had seven points, five service aces, 30 kills, and 11 digs. Abree Zalman had 29 points, 11 service aces, 19 kills, and five digs. Lydia Weaver had four points, three service aces, three kills, and one assist. Gracyn Montgomery had one kill. Reese Stigers had one kill. Maddy Manhart had 19 points, 10 service aces, and seven digs, and Alyssa Zacha had nine points, four service aces, and three kills.
Trinity then advanced to bracket play, where they defeated the Mount Prospect (St. Paul) Comets, the Collinsville (Holy Cross) Braves, and the Yorkville (Cross) Crusaders.
The Cardinals took down Mount Prospect in three sets (25-16, 20-25, 25-22), and Collinsville in three sets (25-27, 25-21, 25-18) before facing Yorkville in the championship. Trinity won that match in two sets, taking the first set 25-19.
“This was our third time meeting this team this season,” said head coach Tammy Manhart in an email to the Daily News. “It’s hard to beat a team three times, and they looked much stronger than when we faced them earlier in the season. The championship match started very competitively, point-for-point. At the start of the match, we struggled a little to get our sets on the net where we needed them so our hitters could swing aggressively, mainly due to Cross’ strong serving.
“Once we found our groove and started getting sets on the net, we created a gap, which allowed us to play our game and keep the pressure on them.”
The Cardinals then won the second set 25-17.
“We kept it rolling in the second set,” Manhart said. “Gia Bostedo had several serving streaks that stretched the score in our favor. She started the match with six straight points and ended the set with the last nine points. All weekend, it was a total team effort. The girls worked so well together, with everyone having different roles and taking care of their responsibilities.
“I am so proud of how the girls pushed through the difficult matches we faced in the second half of the tournament. They showed mental toughness and never gave up or lost their composure. They just kept fighting and were rewarded with a state championship.”
Bostedo finished bracket play with 33 points, 11 service aces, 39 assists, and four digs. Reed had 31 points, 12 service aces, and 40 assists. Friese had 14 points, seven service aces, 49 kills, one assist, and 24 digs. Zalman had 15 points, five service aces, 34 kills, and 16 digs. Weaver had nine points, three service aces, two kills, and two assists. Montgomery had five kills. Stigers had one assist. Maddy Manhart had eight points, three service aces, and 15 digs, and Zacha had one kill and two assists.
Zalman and Freise were named to the all-tournament team, and Friese was named the LSA Championship Volleyball Tournament Most Valuable Player.
Trinity finished the season with a 15-1 record.