For a brief time, Glenbard West made a bid to take St. Charles North to a deciding third set.

It was rejected by the North Stars. Literally.

Sophomore middle blocker Brynn Hopkins made three blocks during a decisive 10-0 run as second-seeded St. Charles North rallied from a 14-11 deficit in the second set to beat third-seeded Glenbard West 25-14, 25-17 at the Class 4A Glenbard West Sectional semifinals on Tuesday.

“I think Brynn stepping up with those blocks really helped our team get out of the rut that we were in,” St. Charles North senior setter Mia McCall said. “It really fired us up.

“That was such a momentum changer, and it really pushed us to be better.”

The North Stars (35-3), who advanced to play top-seeded Benet (36-2) in the sectional final at 6 p.m. Thursday, trailed 11-8 after Kayla Street blocked Penn State-bound senior outside hitter Haley Burgdorf.

The Hilltoppers (28-10) were on a 10-5 run at that point.

“I called a timeout, and I said, ‘I don’t know why you guys took your foot off the gas, but let’s get out there and go,’ ” St. Charles North coach Lindsey Hawkins said. “From there, Brynn took over.”

The pep talk took a little while to kick in. Glenbard West extended the lead to 13-9 and was still up by three points when Burgdorf smashed one of her match-high 14 kills to give the serve to McCall, who proceeded to serve the next nine points.

The run started with a McCall ace. It continued with a Burgdorf block, the first of four in a four-point span by the North Stars. The other three were courtesy of Hopkins, who quickly followed with a kill.

Junior right-side Erin Sutter and Burgdorf then landed kills to extend the lead to 21-14, at which point the match was no longer in doubt.

“We got caught in one rotation,” Glenbard West coach Dan Scott said. “I think they scored about seven or eight points just in that one rotation, so they did a good job of breaking us down in serve-receive, and they also had Burgdorf.

“We knew it was coming, we knew we had to cover, but it’s still hard to do. It’s easier said than done.”

Ella Rowe had seven kills. Farryn Burridge and Frances McGanne each added four kills for the Hilltoppers, but it wasn’t nearly enough to counter the slugging of Burgdorf and blocking from Hopkins.

“I think Brynn had three blocks in a row,” Hawkins said. “To see her thriving as a sophomore and to be playing at this level right now is awesome.

“We need her. She adds a great dynamic, because we can literally put her in the middle or on a pin, and she allows us to be pretty versatile.”

Already in her second year on varsity, the 5-10 Hopkins is finding her groove.

“I feel like getting more comfortable with the girls and being around them and all of their encouragement has really stepped up my play,” Hopkins said. “(The blocks) felt great.

“It really helped with the team, and I feel like it definitely boosts the energy.”

The North Stars’ other middle, senior Sidney Wright, added six kills, five service points and a block. McCall dished 24 assists to go with 11 service points and said Hopkins’ play has been key.

“She’s definitely a big part of this team,” McCall said. “I don’t think we’d be where we are without her.”