Entering the season, Fenwick High School boys volleyball coach Katie Whitman felt the teams in the Chicago Catholic League White were pretty evenly matched.
“In past years, De La Salle has been our biggest competition,” Whitman said earlier this spring. “I think there is parity in the league this year.”
Much to her delight, the Friars have proved Whitman wrong by dominating the CCL with a perfect 10-0 record. Overall, Fenwick is 11-6.
Pat Kenny (13 kills), Graham Rodgers (7 kills) and Will Sophie (19 assists) led Fenwick to a 25-15, 25-12 win over St. Laurence, capping off the team’s unblemished run through conference.
OPRF badminton
OPRF won the Hersey Sectional last week, the program’s first sectional title since 1999. The Huskies took first place with 15 points, finishing ahead of host Hersey (11.5), Maine West (9), Addison Trail and Libertyville (3.5 each), and Zion-Benton (3).
OPRF advances to the state finals, which are May 13-14 at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston.
“We’ve been getting better each year,” OPRF senior captain Maya Trinka said. “This has been one of the best seasons in a long time for OPRF badminton. It’s very exciting to be part of the program’s growth and success.”
The Huskies’ Rei Uemaki, a foreign exchange student from Japan, finished first in singles followed by Trinka.
Uemaki (21-0) didn’t drop a game en route to winning the title. She defeated Trinka, 21-12, 21-6, in the championship match. In earlier matches, Uemaki beat Mary Grace Mutia (Addison Trail) 21-3, 21-14 and Sammi Lee (Hersey) 21-11, 21-14.
Prior to her meeting against Uemaki, Trinka (24-3) cruised past Zion Benton’s Lizzette Hernandez, 21-10, 21-10, and Libertyville’s Katherine Liu, 21-13, 21-13.
The doubles teams of Maria Krunic and Jennifer Eisner and Catherine Heyboer and Joey Oldach placed third and fourth, respectively, for OPRF.
Krunic and Risner went 3-1 at the sectional, including a 21-15, 21-7 victory over Heyboer and Oldach, who won three of five matches to qualify for the state finals.
“This sectional is tough so we’re excited to get everybody to state,” said Trinka, who also plays tennis at OPRF. “A lot of our seniors came up to the varsity level together so we have experience and depth in the lineup.”
OPRF girls track and field
Chena Underhill finished first in the 100 hurdles (15.75 seconds) and 300 hurdles (46.65) and second in pole vault (12 feet, 4 inches) and triple jump (36-4.5) as the Huskies’ top performer of the day at the West Suburban Conference Silver Division Championships.
The Huskies notched third place with 97 points, trailing champion Downers Grove North (113) and Lyons Township (107).
Senior Norma Abdur-Rafia placed first in the 200 with a time of 24.72. Chisom Nwoko won pole vault (12-4) and Ella Rosa was second in the 100 hurdles (16.05) and third in long jump (16-9.25).
The quartet of Destiny White, Fallon Taiwo, Rachel Rowe and Abdur-Rafia
claimed the 800 relay title with a time of 1:43.29.
Fenwick boys tennis
Senior Danny Reardon and sophomore Billy Bruce won first doubles at the Fenton Invite as the Friars finished second out of eight teams.
OPRF girls water polo
The Huskies routed host Lyons Township, 13-4, in the championship match of the West Suburban Conference Invitational.
Genevieve Curry had five goals, five steals and five kickouts drawn and Jilly Cronin scored four goals. Juniors Addie Steward-Nolan and Ellie Kennedy-Wood chipped in a goal apiece. Goalie Kaitlyn Peterson finished with seven saves and three assists.
Fenwick boys water polo
The Friars edged Brother Rice, 11-10, to finish third in the Metro Catholic Aquatic Conference tournament. Tied 7-7 at halftime, Fenwick outscored the Crusaders, 4-2, in the third quarter to secure the win.
Conor Hendzel scored a team-high six goals, while Thomas Martino and Matt Hoban contributed two goals each. Kyle Poland had three assists and Ramses Flores two.
Fenwick (16-13-1), the No. 2 seed in the York Sectional, opens the playoffs Wednesday, May 11 at 7 p.m., against the winner of Curie vs. St. Patrick.
OPRF faces Morton in the following match at 8 p.m.
The Friars and Huskies could meet in the sectional semifinals on Friday, May 13 (6 p.m.) at York.
OPRF softball
Sophomore shortstop Maeve Nelson hit a game-winning home run in the sixth inning of the Huskies’ 1-0 victory against Lincoln-Way East. Senior pitcher Emily Richardson (12-0) earned the win as OPRF improved to 22-2.
In conference action, the Huskies cruised past Glenbard West 10-3 and York 9-4. Junior Chardonnay Harris went 4-for-4 with a triple and two RBIs against Glenbard West, while Richardson (3-for-4, HR, 3 RBIs), Samantha Linde (3-for-4, 2 RBIs) and Ellie Ziegler (2-for-4, HR, 2 RBIs) starred offensively against York.
Fenwick softball
Freshman pitcher Alyssa Stramaglia allowed no runs or hits with eight strikeouts in five innings during the Friars’ 12-4 win over Morton. Rachel Martinez, another talented freshman, went 3-for-5 at the plate.
Martinez also hit a three-run homer in a 7-3 loss to Bishop McNamara. Amanda Lopez finished 2-for-2 with a run scored for the Friars.
Fenwick (13-12, 5-10 GCAC Red) will face Bishop McNamara again in opening-round action of the GCAC Red Tournament this week.
