For the second consecutive year, the Oak Park and River Forest High School girls’ volleyball team has won a sectional championship. In the final of the IHSA Class 4A Jones Sectional, Nov. 5, the Huskies, the sectional’s top seed, defeated third-seeded DePaul Prep 25-18, 25-13.
The victory marks the first time OPRF has won back-to-back sectional titles since the 1986 and 1987 seasons, when the Huskies won a Class AA state championship each year.
“Amazing,” said OPRF senior libero Devyn Kleidon, who finished with 17 digs plus an ace on the evening. “After winning last year, we wanted to come in and do the same thing. It feels so good.”
“It’s great. I know (winning consecutive sectionals) hasn’t been done in a long time, so I’m really happy I was able to do it with my best friends,” added OPRF senior outside hitter Emmi Bozarth, who had 10 digs, two blocks, and seven kills, including one that ended the match.
Nerves were apparent early in the first set as OPRF (26-8) and DePaul each hit multiple balls which landed out of bounds. However, the Huskies gradually began to find their way, and a 6-1 run gave them a 15-10 lead they would not relinquish.
The second set followed a similar script. Tied 10-10, OPRF scored 10 of the next 12 points to essentially clinch the match. Bozarth ended things in style with a thunderous kill in the middle off an assist from senior setter Edie Carroll (12 assists).
A big reason that the Huskies pulled away from the Rams was the play of senior outside hitter Bella Gray, who had 11 kills and eight digs.
“She’s a beast,” Kleidon said of Gray. “She’s a killer. She’s so much fun to play with and I’m so grateful.”
“Devyn, Emmi, and Bella, they’re the trunk of the tree,” OPRF coach Symone Speech said. “Between the energy and the communication, they really hold it down for us.”
Another senior, opposite player Aniyah Scott, also came up big for OPRF, posting five of her seven kills in the second set. Scott, who transferred in from IMG Academy in Florida before the season, says making the move has been well worth it.
“I played with these girls since freshman year (in club) so it’s nice finally getting to win and accomplish so many things with them again,” she said.
The Huskies also got valuable contributions from senior middle blocker Jaida Garland and senior outside hitter Celia Jackson, who each had three kills; junior setter Lura Weiner, who had nine assists; and junior middle blocker Eva Truss, who had a pair of blocks.
“The girls, they’ve been so focused all season. They know what they want,” Speech said. “And they’re not going to stop until they get it.”
OPRF will meet Loyola Academy in the Class 4A New Trier Supersectional on Monday evening at 7 p.m. in Winnetka. The Ramblers, the top seed at the Schaumburg Sectional, defeated the second-seeded Trevians 25-21, 29-27, for the title Thursday night.
Last year, OPRF fell in two hard-fought sets to Lockport at the supersectional. The Huskies remember what happened then and are eager to get the job done this time around and advance to state for the first time in 39 years. But they also know they’ll need to elevate their game even more against Loyola.
“We’ve really got to work before Monday and we’ve got to come with everything we have,” Bozarth said. “This is something we’ve all dreamed of since the beginning of the year. We’re going to put all the love into this one game and we’re going to come out wanting it more than the other team.”
“It’s going to take a lot of discipline,” Scott added, “and a lot of dominance from our offense.”