Nazareth weathers first set loss, comes back to beat Geneva in Class 3A state semifinals

Nazareth volleyball’s postseason experience showed up in its Class 3A semifinal match against Geneva, completing a late comeback in a 20-25, 25-23, 25-23 thriller on Friday night at CEFCU Arena in Normal.The Roadrunners jumped out to an early lead in the opening set, but following a timeout, the Vikings settled their nerves and rallied to take the first set. The second set featured back-and-forth action throughout, but the third set provided the most drama.

The Details

Geneva (30-11) built a seemingly commanding 20-13 lead, only for the Roadrunners (28-13) to storm back coming out of a timeout to even the score at 21-21. From there, multiple different Nazareth players stepped up to finish it.With the win, Nazareth will now play for the Class 3A state championship at 5:30 p.m. Saturday against Mascoutah, returning to the title match for the second consecutive season after finishing second last year. While Sadie Quinlan led Nazareth with nine kills and Madeline Briscoe with 15 assists, it was a true