Oak Park and River Forest High School's girls volleyball team will play in a state semifinal Friday for the first time in 39 years.
The Huskies face Mother McAuley at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13, at CEFCU Arena in Normal, on the campus of Illinois State University. OPRF earned the trip by beating Loyola 25-20, 22-25, 25-17 in the Class 4A super-sectional on Monday, Nov. 9, at New Trier in Winnetka, according to Peoria Journal Star scores.
As we reported Tuesday, the program had not reached state since 1987. OPRF won girls volleyball state championships in 1978-79 and 1979-80, according to school records.
The semifinal matchup is a steep test. Mother McAuley, a Chicago powerhouse, carried a 25-3 record and a No. 6 national ranking from MaxPreps as of mid-October. The Mighty Macs are chasing their 18th state title and first since winning back-to-back championships in 2022 and 2023, MaxPreps reported. McAuley beat Downers Grove North 25-12, 19-25, 25-22 in its own super-sectional to reach the final four.
OPRF's path here runs through a senior-heavy roster and a second-year head coach. Symone Speech took over the program in 2025 and led the Huskies to a 26-8 record, the program's first West Suburban Conference Silver Division title since 1992 and its first sectional championship since 2014, according to the Wednesday Journal's preseason coverage published in August. That 2025 season ended with a super-sectional loss.
This fall, the Huskies repeated as WSC Silver champions, sharing the title with Lyons Township after beating Glenbard West 25-20, 25-17 on Oct. 20, the Wednesday Journal reported.
Eleven seniors anchor the roster: Emmi Bozarth, Edie Carroll, Jaida Garland, Bella Gray, Devyn Kleidon, Aniyah Scott, Yulie Wnorowska, Celia Jackson, Lily Kinzler, Mia Mahoney and Sophia Sood. Kleidon, a four-year varsity player committed to the University of Idaho, posted 179 kills and 178 digs in 2025. Bozarth added 257 kills, 193 digs, 57 aces and 16 blocks that season.
Gray, a St. Louis University commit, transferred to OPRF this year from Fenwick, where she recorded 319 kills, 217 digs, 34 aces and 24 blocks in 2025. Scott, a Howard University commit, arrived from IMG Academy in Florida.
"This is a special group," Speech said in the Wednesday Journal's October coverage. "Having so many seniors, even a big team in general can be hard to keep the culture intact, but they do it so seamlessly."
The winner Friday advances to the Class 4A championship game at 8:55 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14. The loser plays in the third-place match at 7:25 p.m. Saturday.
