The Oak Park and River Forest High School girls volleyball team concluded the regular season in exciting fashion on Oct. 19, rallying to defeat visiting St. Ignatius 18-25, 25-21, and 25-13. The Huskies (28-6) scored 10 consecutive points early in the third set to pull away from the Wolfpack.
Senior Grace Nelson had 17 kills and 15 digs, senior Kinsey Smith 33 assists, senior Keira Kleidon 15 digs, junior Gabby Towns eight kills, and sophomore Samantha Shelton six kills.
The victory provided OPRF a confidence boost entering the postseason. The Huskies are the top seed in the IHSA Class 4A Hinsdale Central sectional and also host a regional.
OPRF was scheduled to meet either Kelly or Proviso East in a regional semifinal on Oct. 24, after deadline. A victory would advance the Huskies to the title match on Oct. 26 against the winner of the Downers Grove South-Glenbard East semifinal.
OPRF has had a strong year despite a small roster, and coach Kelly Collins said it’s because of the talent level.
“We’re skilled and dynamic,” she said. “They’re a competitive group who strive to better themselves as a team and individuals each and every day.”
Nelson, a University of Kansas commit, recorded her 1,000th career kill earlier this year. She leads the Huskies in kills (402) and aces (47) and also has 206 digs and 28 blocks.
Smith, who will attend Davidson College next fall, registered her 1,500th career assist this season. She has a team-high 835 assists, along with 40 aces, 40 kills, 142 digs and 14 blocks.
Kleidon leads OPRF in digs with 286 and has added 26 aces. Towns has the team lead in blocks with 52 to go with 124 kills, and Shelton has 176 kills, 39 aces, 108 digs, and 27 blocks.
While the Huskies are happy to be a sectional top seed, Collins knows they’ll have their work cut out for them with rematches against schools they defeated in the regular season distinctly possible.
“We recognize that the playoffs are a new season for every team,” she said. “We’re not looking past anyone, just taking it one game at a time.
“I am confident each of our players is going to be the best version of themselves to achieve our goal,” Collins added. “This is our moment, and we’re ready to take it.”
Fenwick
It’s been a challenging transitional season for Fenwick High School in coach Tee Pimsarn’s debut as head coach, as their 7-19 record heading into postseason would indicate.
But the Friars appeared to turn a corner last week. They lost a highly competitive match to visiting York on Oct. 18 (17-25, 25-23, and 22-25) and snapped a 13-match losing streak with two victories on Oct. 21 over Dundee-Crown at the Lake Park Tournament, 22-25, 25-16, and 15-12, then 25-18, 25-20.
The increased competitiveness at this time is something Pimsarn was hoping would develop with his young team.
“We’re going through our growing pains, but I’m excited about the growth from our underclassmen this season,” he said. “We’ve certainly seen a lot of improvement in the gym from all our kids.”
Fenwick has two freshmen (Bella Gray and Jordan Rossi) and three sophomores (Lily Boyle, Marcelina Kozaczka, and Sophia Leonardi) seeing significant playing time. Seniors Hazel Davis and Lola Tortorello have provided solid play and strong leadership.
The Friars, seeded seventh in the Class 3A St. Ignatius sectional, hosted UIC Prep in a regional semifinal Oct. 24, after deadline. A win would move Fenwick to the title match on Oct. 26, likely against St. Ignatius.
“Our war cry has been ‘train for October,’ and we’ve worked on a myriad of things: techniques, skills, and sports psychology,” Pimsarn said. “Now we must put all of that work together during the playoffs.”
Trinity
Trinity High School finished with a 14-18 record this season and drew the sixth seed in the Class 3A Lemont sectional.
The Blazers faced host Hancock in Chicago in a regional semifinal, Oct. 24. A win would mean a spot in the final on Oct. 26, likely versus third seed St. Laurence.
Trinity coach Ken Uhlir believes his team can be competitive in the sectional with more consistent play.
“It’s been a unique year in that there are moments where we play at a high level,” he said, “and other moments where we struggle to do the basics. We’ll see which team we are this week.”