Providence’s Demi Carbone loves it when she can serve an ace to start off a game.
Similar to the leadoff batter beginning with a home run in baseball, the senior setter/right-side hitter believes that an ace sets a certain tone in volleyball.
“It gives you a boost,” Carbone said. “You just feel better about the game. You are more confident.
“Everything is right place, right time.”
But Tuesday night, things didn’t follow that script right away.
Carbone, who wears No. 8, aced the first serve but crosstown rival Lincoln-Way West won. Claire Murphy, who also wears No. 8, aced the first serve of the second game but Celtics won that one.
So, when Carbone aced the first serve in the third game?
“It was actually funny in the third set, it was the same play hit to the same girl she aced in the first set,” said Providence coach Lee Rucinski, who then made a movie reference. “I looked at my coach and I said, ‘Uh-oh, Groundhog Day. Let’s hope that’s not real.’”
No need to worry. The host Celtics went on an 11-point run in the third game in pulling off a 20-25, 25-20, 25-16 nonconference victory over the Warriors in New Lenox.
Wright State-bound senior outside hitter Abbey Knight paced Providence (6-0) with 19 kills, while Carbone chalked up six kills, four blocks, 15 assists and three aces. Grace Lustig added six blocks and Delaney Purtill picked up 19 assists, including four aces during the 11-point run.
North Carolina Wilmington recruit Lily Goyer led Lincoln-Way West (4-4) with five kills and five blocks. Kara Stigter added six kills.
Knight, meanwhile, is a big fan of Carbone’s skills. They were club teammates at Ultimate when they were 13.
“I started as a middle and she was my setter,” Knight said of Carbone. “As we’ve grown up, we decided to go to the same high school. Ever since then, we’ve been connecting.
“She’s always been my go-to. She sets me up for the perfect kill every single time, I must say. I can always work with whatever she gives me.”
Knight also raved about the other side to Carbone’s game.
“You can always run something off her defense,” Knight said. “Whether she’s passing the ball with one arm and hitting it straight up, we can do something with that. Her defense is beautiful and her sets are beautiful.”
And what about the serving?
“Oh my God,” Knight said. “I need a separate column to talk about her serving. She’s been a great server ever since we were 13.”
Providence is on a mission after being stopped two years in a row in the supersectional round. Having someone with Carbone’s versatility makes life easier for the rest of the Celtics.
It’s a challenge for her that she relishes.
“Abbey and I both play all the way around and it’s definitely something we have both gotten used to,” Carbone said. “As a setter, it’s almost like you have to keep the responsibility with you and you have to know what’s going on when you are on the court.
“You have to play smart and play clean and do everything you need to do to get it done.”
Carbone also has committed to Colby, an NCAA Division III program in Maine. She may pursue a degree in business or premed.
“The recruiting process can be grueling,” she said. “But I was always geared to a Division III, mini-Ivy school. We connected with each other. We went out there for a visit, and I absolutely loved it.
“I was not expecting that at all. It was a match made in heaven.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.