Last year, the Oak Park and River Forest High School girls volleyball team won its first West Suburban Conference Silver Division championship since 1992. The feeling was so nice, the Huskies did it twice. On Oct. 20 in a home match against Glenbard West, they got the job done, defeating the Hilltoppers 25-20, 25-17 to claim a share of this year’s conference title, sharing it with Lyons Township.
“That was our goal this year,” said OPRF libero Devyn Kleidon. “Conference championship is one of our tasks to take down this year, and we were able to do it. Two years in a row, it’s great.”
Things started inauspiciously for OPRF (22-8, 5-1 WSC Silver) as Glenbard West jumped out to a 10-4 lead in the opening set. But trailing 16-13, the Huskies went on a 7-0 run to seize momentum and win the set.
“We had to remember what we were playing for,” said OPRF middle blocker Jaida Garland. “It was Senior Night and a big game. We had to keep our composure.”
In the second set with the score tied 7-7, OPRF again used a big run (9-4) to take a 16-11 lead, which the Huskies never relinquished.
“Sometimes you start off a little slow in matches,” said Kleidon, who ended the match in grand fashion with an ace. “We were able to pick it back up by staying locked in and not giving up on plays. We just had to play our overall game. We played (Glenbard West) recently and were familiar with their game.”
As has been the case for most of the season, OPRF showed balance on the stat sheet with several players making contributions. Senior outside hitter Bella Gray led the Huskies in kills with seven, while senior outside hitter Emmi Bozarth added five and senior outside hitter Aniyah Scott adding four.
Bozarth and Gray had two aces apiece. Scott had three blocks, and Garland and senior Yulie Wnorowska contributing two apiece. Gray led in digs with six, Kleidon had five, and Bozarth four. Senior setter Edie Carroll and junior setter Lura Weiner each had seven assists.
“I know all these girls have worked super-hard and worked their butts off in the gym, on and off the court,” Gray said. “I’m so proud of everyone and I’m really happy with how it turned out.”
The victory was the final regular-season home match for OPRF’s 11 seniors: Bozarth, Carroll, Garland, Gray, Kleidon, Scott, and Wnorowska, along with Celia Jackson, Lily Kinzler, Mia Mahoney, and Sophia Sood.
“This is a special group,” OPRF coach Symone Speech said. “Having so many seniors, even a big team in general can be hard to keep the culture intact, but they do it so seamlessly.”
“Many of these (girls) are my best friends,” Garland said. “I’ve played with them for four years and we’re keeping our traditions alive. We’re making the most of every moment because our volleyball chapters are going to close soon.”
OPRF ended the regular season with a three-set victory (23-25, 25-13, 25-12) at St. Ignatius, Oct. 22. Bozarth (10 kills, 4 aces), Gray and Scott (8 kills each), Kleidon (23 digs, 5 aces), Carroll and Weiner (16 assists each), and junior middle hitter Eva Truss (3 blocks) powered the Huskies.
OPRF opens state tournament play this week as the top seed in the IHSA Class 4A Jones Sectional. The Huskies, who also are hosting a regional, faced either Simeon or ITW Speer in a semifinal Tuesday night, after press time. A win would advance OPRF to the regional final on Oct. 29 at 6 p.m. against either Payton or Von Steuben.
“We’re confident. We’ve just got to keep playing our game no matter who we play and focus on our side,” Kleidon said.
“I hope they take this fuel, fire, and love and ride with it the next few weeks,” Speech said.