Coming off a dramatic three-set victory over Lyons Township in the semifinals of the IHSA Hinsdale Central sectional, the Oak Park and River Forest High School boys volleyball team looked to keep the momentum going and punch its ticket downstate when it faced Sandburg in the sectional final, June 3.
Although the Huskies fought hard, the more experienced Eagles prevailed 22-25, 26-28.
“[Sandburg] is a good team. They didn’t make many errors,” said OPRF coach Justin Cousin, who added that Sandburg used experience to its advantage against a young OPRF team, which committed multiple uncharacteristic errors.
“We beat [Sandburg] when they were juniors last year in the sectional semis,” he said. “Their backs were up against the wall, and they had no choice but to win [this year]. Those are the moments you find out what you’re made of, and I think we fell just short of our goal.”
Henry Ohlhoff led OPRF (31-5) with seven kills. Jimmie “Trayce” Chrusfield III had six kills, Henry Hullinger five kills, Matthew Proskey four kills and 15 assists, Finn Kiefer seven digs, Gus Leman five assists and six digs, and Gavin Martin two blocks for the Huskies.
Cousin said OPRF had a great season, especially given that Martin and Stuart Lippincott were the team’s only seniors.
“We definitely had a successful season,” he said. “We brought the [West Suburban Silver] title back [for the first time since 2010], we had three players [Chrusfield, First Team; Proskey, Second Team; Leman, Honorable Mention] named All-State, four players named All-Conference. We definitely had a great experience this year and have a lot to look forward to.”