The Oak Park and River Forest High School girls volleyball team claimed its second straight sectional championship Thursday, Nov. 5, sweeping DePaul College Prep 25-18, 25-13 in the IHSA Class 4A final at the Jones sectional.
The two-set victory pushes the Huskies' record to 26-8 and advances them to the supersectional round, according to illprepvb.com. DePaul College Prep, the third seed, finished 27-12.
OPRF, the sectional's top seed, reached the final after beating fourth-seeded Lane Tech in the Tuesday, Nov. 3, semifinal. As we reported that day, the win set up the matchup with DePaul Prep.
The Huskies won both sets by comfortable margins. The sectional run followed a similar pattern in the regional round, where OPRF beat Payton Prep 25-13, 25-16 on Oct. 29 to win the regional title, according to the Wednesday Journal. Senior outside hitter Emmi Bozarth led that regional win with eight kills, two aces, two blocks and five digs.
Bozarth, senior outside hitter Bella Gray, senior middle blocker Jaida Garland, senior libero Devyn Kleidon, senior setter Edie Carroll and junior setter Lura Weiner have all been key contributors through the postseason bracket.
Head coach Symone Speech's squad also claimed a second straight West Suburban Conference Silver Division title in October, sharing it with Lyons Township after a 25-20, 25-17 win over Glenbard West on Oct. 20, oakpark.com reported.
The roster carries 11 seniors, including Bozarth, Carroll, Garland, Gray, Kleidon, Anyiha Scott, Yulie Wnorowska, Celia Jackson, Lily Kinzler, Mia Mahoney and Sophia Sood. In preseason coverage published in August by the Wednesday Journal, Speech said, "Of course, we would love to go all the way and compete for a state championship … but more than anything, I want this group to finish the season feeling proud of the work they put in and the growth they experienced together."
The season is not over. OPRF advances to the Class 4A supersectional, with the opponent, venue and game time still to be announced.
