A fierce Pierce: Tennessee Tech recruit Alayna Pierce puts down 18 kills as Genoa-Kingston wins program’s first state championship. ‘This is amazing.’

NORMAL — At practice Saturday morning, junior outside hitter Alayna Pierce went back to work for Genoa-Kingston. And one thing came through loud and clear.

The 5-foot-11 Pierce wasn’t her usual dominant self during Friday’s Class 2A state semifinal, but Cogs coach Keith Foster knew he really didn’t have too much to worry about.

A fierce Pierce was in the gym again.

“She was absolutely determined,” Foster said. “We got an opportunity to get some practice in early and you could see her mental fortitude. It was not going to happen twice.

“We didn’t even need to say a word to Alayna because we knew she’d come out ready to go. Some players are just built for this.”

Pierce showed that ability Saturday afternoon as Genoa-Kingston took the first state title in program history and third in school history with a 25-21, 27-25 win over IC Catholic.

A refocused Pierce, the Tennessee Tech recruit, put down 18 kills and added 10 digs to lead the Cogs (37-4) past the Knights (33-2) at Illinois State’s Redbird Arena.

“At practice, I really focused on what I needed to do,” Pierce said. “I watched the film and realized what I was doing wrong, and I made sure I came out and fixed it.

“I knew it was going to be a fight and I knew we needed each and every person on the court to help.”

The two teams traded errors early in the first game before Pierce kicked things into gear. She had four kills as Genoa-Kingston grabbed an 11-7 lead.

Then, Pierce had three more kills to move the lead to 21-15. IC Catholic rallied late but the Cogs held on.

The second game was a back-and-forth affair. Pierce had five kills, culminating with a 12-12 tie. Three more kills by Pierce, however, gave Genoa-Kingston a 23-21 lead.

“Alayna is a gamer,” Foster said. “She gives every single bit of effort and her best focus every single practice. Somehow, she always finds a way to find an extra gear, and great players do that.”

With the Cogs staring down match point, though, junior setter Alivia Keegan decided to go to the opposite side of the court to Lily Mueller, who responded with a kill.

Mia Wise then served an ace. An IC Catholic hitting error secured the state championship.

“Alayna was on,” Keegan said of Saturday’s final. “She was very effective with our offense, so I had been setting her a lot.

“I felt the need to switch it up because they were probably going to go straight to her knowing we were down a point. I had a lot of trust in Lily on the back side. She had an amazing kill and put us right back to where we needed to be.”

Mueller ended up with seven kills. Keegan totaled 19 assists and 11 digs.

Pierce came off a less efficient match in Friday’s 25-23, 25-15 semifinal win over Illinois Valley Central. She only had eight kills and three digs.

“Between last match and this match, she was just as focused,” Foster said. “Both matches she was just as ready. Couple balls hit the tape (Friday) and fell on our side hit the tape and fell on their side (Saturday).

“It’s just a matter of circumstance. She’s a heck of a player for us.”

Now, Pierce and her teammates are state champions.

“It’s kind of like a dream come true,” Pierce said. “Our whole community has been supporting us and pushing us to this point. We’ve supported each other and uplifted each other on our bad days. We’ve been through thick and thin together.

“This is amazing that we made it here.”

Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.