Senior middle hitter Asha Ponnappan made a strong varsity transition for the Riverside Brookfield High School girls volleyball team last season with the help of teammates and nine seniors.
“Last season was really fun. I feel like I learned a lot because of the seniors and upperclassmen and I gained a lot of experience,” Ponnappan said. “I hope I taught the (junior varsity) and freshmen teams what the varsity level looks like and what they have to look forward to. Hopefully they learned from the plays I made and how I improved and that they know they will get better when they get onto that level, too.”
The Bulldogs will rely on several new faces this season, coming off a successful season.
Their 20-15 record included yet another conference championship before losing to York 25-21, 21-25, 25-21 in the Class 4A York Regional final.
Senior outside hitter and fourth-year varsity player Mackenzie Sloger, who earned All-Upstate Eight Conference honors, senior setter Nina Johnsen and Ponnappan are the three returning starters.
Other varsity returnees are juniors Claire Evans and Demetra Foster and sophomores Sage Roldan and Ella Wilkowski. Newcomers are seniors Dunja Kecman, Jenna Noga and Julia Szymczak, junior Emilia Hartsock and sophomores Kenley Callahan, Elise Crist and Ivana Zaper.
“We are competitive, have strong senior returners who have been on varsity for a few years while also having young sophomores bringing in new and higher skill sets,” said fifth-year RBHS head coach Caitlin Staib-Lipinski.
RBHS repeated as UEC East Division champions with a perfect 6-0 record and beat West Aurora in the UEC crossover championship match. Including the former Metro Suburban Conference, 2025 was the Bulldogs’ third straight conference title and fourth straight year in which they’ve shared their division’s best record.
Sloger led RBHS last season with 259 kills, 51 service aces and 411 service receptions and was second in digs (157) as a full-rotation player. Ponnappan had team bests of 52 blocks and a .301 attack percentage and was third in kills (118). Foster (110) and Johnsen (85) were second and third in assists.
“Obviously winning (is our goal) but beyond that, having us be together as a team,” Sloger said. “A lot of us are new so we’re going to need a little time to get that connection down but once we do I think we’re going to find real success.”
Staib-Lipinski is planning a two-setter offense with Johnsen and Crist after the graduation of Claire Cameron, who set a school record with 1,720 career assists, including 560 in 2025.
Foster moves from setter to right-side hitter. Libero Roldan (53 digs), outside hitter Wilkowski (50 kills) and right-side Evans (42 kills) also will have increased roles.
“Trust. That’s the big thing (for success),” Sloger said. “We’re a new team so we have to learn how to trust each other and I feel get to know each other more.”
LTHS girls volleyball
Three Lyons Township seniors – outside/middle hitter Taylor Carroll, setter Colleen Chambers and libero Julia Ahrens – earned 2025 Class 4A all-state recognition from the Illinois Volleyball Coaches Association. They want to finish with even more honors, most notably being part of the Lions’ first downstate qualifier since the 2011 4A state championship run.
“Going downstate. That’s our hope for senior year,” Ahrens said. “I really want to end this year on a bang and make something happen for our school. We really want to make sure the chemistry’s good and everyone feels comfortable.”
The Lions should have the formula for success after last season’s 24-13 effort ended in the 4A LT Sectional semifinals with a 13-25, 25-14, 25-20 loss to West Suburban Conference Silver Division rival Oak Park and River Forest.
Senior defensive specialist Avery Lee and sophomore right-side hitter Olivia Pora also are returning starters. Senior Blake Spreyne and junior Ula Garbauskas and also saw significant time. Also returning are seniors Hannah Fuller, Sophia Jackson and Avery Tyrrell. Varsity newcomers are juniors Gianna Del Galdo, Avery Dina, Luciana King, Celese Brittmon and Reagen Veeser, sophomores Shannon Carroll and Gabby Munoz and freshman Francesca Wolf.
Taylor Carroll is a fourth-year starter and Chambers and Ahrens are third-year starters. Cousins Carroll (Division I Xavier) and Chambers (Division III Wisconsin-Platteville) already have committed for college volleyball. With 688 career kills, Taylor Carroll is in range to reach 1,000.
“We have some great foundational people that know how LT volleyball is and will continue to build on that tradition and legacy,” LTHS coach Jill Bober said. “We were not ready to be done last season. I think that has sparked some fire under even the athletes that are new to varsity.”
Chambers amassed 745 assists last season as Carroll (289) and Pora (205) were the two Lions with more than 200 kills. Pora was third with 41 blocks.
Defensively, Ahrens (320) and Lee (181) were first and third in digs. Ahrens (40) and Lee (29) led LTHS in service aces and Ahrens had a team-best 375 service receptions with Carroll third (188). Carroll was second-team all-state. Chambers and Ahrens received honorable mention.
“It meant a lot. I think it showed the effort and heart I put into the game and how much I cared about the team,” Ahrens said. “(Last year) we did a really good job building that baseline but this year we want more.”
Ahrens and Lee hope to build a strong backrow foundation with Tyrrell and Munoz
“I think defense is kind of the baseline. You can’t get a good kill if you don’t have a good pass,” said Lee, whose family hosted Monday’s first team pasta party.
“If we all click right away (that’ll help) and we’re going to do lots of team bonding. If our chemistry’s good on the court, we’ll play good and have fun. If we’re having fun, I think we’ll play better.”
The Lions finished third in the WSC Silver at 4-2, one victory from a three-way title share. Carroll and Ahrens were the Lions’ all-conference players.
“The physical and mental maturity is something that we continue to emphasize and I think we have improved on that immensely,” Bober said. “When the pressure is on, can we play that high-caliber volleyball? I think that’s something that will get us to that next level.”
