The OPRF Huskies girls volleyball team is two wins from the state finals.
Oak Park and River Forest beat Lane Tech 25-13, 25-15 on Nov. 3 in the IHSA Class 4A Jones Sectional semifinal, according to the IHSA bracket. The top-seeded Huskies will face third-seeded DePaul Prep in the sectional championship at 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5, at Jones College Prep in Chicago.
The semifinal victory came five days after OPRF claimed the Regional title on its home court. The Huskies swept Payton Prep 25-13, 25-16 on Oct. 29 to win the OPRF Regional, the Wednesday Journal reported.
Senior outside hitter Emmi Bozarth led the Regional final with eight kills, two aces, two blocks and five digs. Senior outside hitter Bella Gray added six kills and seven digs. Senior middle hitter Jaida Garland contributed three kills and three blocks.
Libero Devyn Kleidon posted three aces and six digs. Senior setter Edie Carroll had nine assists and six digs, and junior setter Lura Weiner added eight assists and five digs. OPRF's record stood at 24-8 after the Regional championship.
The Huskies reached the Regional final by beating Simeon 25-5, 25-3 on Oct. 27, according to the IHSA bracket.
Senior-laden roster fuels run
OPRF carries 11 seniors on its roster, including Bozarth, Carroll, Garland, Gray, Kleidon, Aniyah Scott and Yulie Wnorowska, the Wednesday Journal reported Oct. 27.
The depth shows. Head coach Symone Speech praised the group's chemistry in that 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," Speech said.
The Huskies won a share of the West Suburban Conference Silver Division title for the second straight year, beating Glenbard West 25-20, 25-17 on Oct. 20 to share the crown with Lyons Township. Last season's title was the program's first WSC Silver championship since 1992.
What's next
DePaul Prep advanced to Thursday's sectional final by beating St. Ignatius 25-19, 21-25, 25-19 on Nov. 3. The winner of the OPRF-DePaul Prep match moves on to the Winnetka Super-Sectional at New Trier High School, where it would face the Schaumburg Sectional champion.
