Kennady Kotowski takes in Providence’s first trip to state for girls volleyball since 1995. ‘Wouldn’t change.’

NORMAL — Providence’s Kennady Kotowski enjoyed her first trip to CEFCU Arena.

She wants to make another one in early March.

The 6-foot-1 sophomore right-side hitter got a taste of life in the spotlight of the Class 3A girls volleyball state semifinals Friday. And a return here for basketball is on her wish list.

“I will, for sure, want to be back down here,” Kotowski said. “I love basketball and I love volleyball and I want to be down here for both. This experience was amazing. Personally, I wouldn’t change anything. I would do everything the same.

“Except I want to win next time.”

About that, the Celtics experienced a rough go of it while making their first appearance at state since 1995, dropping a 25-16, 25-17 semifinal decision to Nazareth.

Abbey Knight paced Providence (34-7) with five kills. The Celtics struggled offensively, however, finishing with only 10 kills and a minus-.077 hitting percentage. Grace Lustig totaled four blocks and Kotowski added two.

Nazareth (21-18) was led by Jane Manecke and Talia Surendran with six kills apiece.

Providence faces Prairie Ridge (32-8) — which lost 25-20, 25-18 in the other semifinal — at 4 p.m. Saturday in the third-place match.

Coming off a 3-31 record last season, Nazareth entered the semifinals on a postseason roll with wins over Timothy Christian, Geneva and Fenwick. The Roadrunners denied the Celtics the chance of winning the program’s first state title and 34th overall in school history.

“Give them credit,” Providence coach Lee Rucinski said of Nazareth. “They are the only team that we hit in negative numbers against.”

Kotowski, meanwhile, played on the varsity as a freshman in basketball last winter. She’s not sure if she will jump into the fire for the Celtics at 6 p.m. Monday, when they open the season against Plainfield North in the WJOL Tournament at Joliet Junior College.

“I haven’t practiced with the team,” Kotowski said. “I would really love to play. I’m hoping, but we’ll see.”

All season long, Rucinski has loved watching Kotowski play volleyball.

“She’s on a high-level team and she’s the only kid on the team who doesn’t play club,” Rucinski said of Kotowski. “But she’s one of our most important pieces between her block and her offense.

“This season, it’s amazing what she has been able to do as a true athlete in volleyball. Last year, she was injured for the state playoffs. There is a difference when she is on the court for us.”

Knight, a four-year star for Providence who has signed to play at Wright State, predicts a sparkling future for the sophomore standout.

“Hitting-wise, she is a very strong offensive player,” Knight said of Kotowski. “We are similar in the way we attack. She’s also very smart. She’s carried us on the right side and puts up a huge block.

“She works hard every single day and she doesn’t take a single day for granted. It makes me look up to her even though she is younger than me.”

While the Celtics weren’t happy with the way they played Friday, they still have earned the right to bring home a state trophy following Saturday’s match against Prairie Ridge.

It’s only the second trophy in program history and the first since 1988. After being stopped in supersectional play the past two seasons, Providence was pleased to finally break through and make it to Normal, something that could serve as a launching point for the program.

And Kotowski tried her best to be positive when seemingly everything went wrong Friday.

“My way of dealing with stuff that is not going our way is to try to pick up other people,” she said. “If it’s not going my way, it will for someone else.”

Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.