With the loss of eight players from last season, it would’ve been easy for outsiders to deduce that the Oak Park and River Forest High School varsity boys volleyball team would be in for a rebuilding season this spring.
But the Huskies are showing they still have plenty of talent, as evidenced by a 16-3 record and a ranking of tenth in the American Volleyball Coaches Association Midwest Region poll.
“I’m really excited because we have a young group and we’re still able to put together some good wins against some tough teams,” said OPRF coach Justin Cousin. “That makes us even more excited about future seasons.”
OPRF took second place out of 24 teams this weekend in the Richard Griesheim Invitational hosted by Downers Grove North and South.
“We played really well together and worked as a team,” Cousin said. “We’d rather lose to Downers Grove [now] because we get to see them again for conference play in a couple of weeks.”
On April 25, the Huskies, who entered the tournament seeded second, swept Pool B to advance to the Gold Bracket, defeating DGS 25-22, 25-15, and Plainfield Central 25-22, 25-13.
In the Gold Bracket quarterfinals, April 26, OPRF rallied to defeat Benet Academy in a three-set thriller, 21-25, 25-23, 25-22. The Huskies defeated New Trier 25-20, 25-23 in the semifinals, before losing the final to DGN 25-27, 21-25.
“The end of the game, a little fatigue, a little inexperience,” Cousin said. “Those guys worked hard all day against some tough teams, and I think they ran out of gas a little bit at the end.”
Sophomore outside hitter Jimmie “Trayce” Chrusfield III and junior setter Matthew Proskey were named to the All-Tournament team. Chrusfield finished the tournament with 40 kills, 24 digs, seven aces, and four blocks, while Proskey had 94 assists, 20 digs, 10 kills, seven aces, and seven blocks.
OPRF also received standout efforts from junior libero Gus Leman, who had 31 total digs, and junior middle hitter Wesley Kochendorfer, who had 13 kills and seven blocks.
“Wesley was potentially up for All-Tournament,” Cousin said, “but we only had two spots available. We have some great players, and it’s really exciting.”
OPRF will continue to get tested during the second half of the season, not only within the West Suburban Silver against DGN and York, but also outside the conference against Lane Tech and Marist, the defending state champion. The Huskies will also compete in the Northside Classic hosted by Glenbrook North and New Trier, May 9-10.
“We have some tough games left in our season,” Cousin said. “We’re planning to keep ramping up and see if we can get more guys some experience. We’re just working as hard as we can to get ready for the playoffs.”