NORMAL – The postgame news conference was just the tension-reliever the St. Francis girls volleyball team needed.

“None of you had any doubts, did you?” Spartans coach Peg Kopec said in her opening statement before proceeding to rag on the odor of the Spartans’ kneepads, among several jovial asides.

As Kopec well knew, there was plenty of doubt – and suspense – throughout St. Francis’ 21-25, 25-20, 26-24 win against Champaign Centennial in Friday’s IHSA Class 3A state semifinal at Redbird Arena. The Spartans advance to the state championship match at 5:30 p.m. tonight against Richmond-Burton, which edged Jacksonville in another three-game thriller.