Riding a mammoth winning streak and playing at home, the Riverside Brookfield High School girls volleyball team already had plenty of momentum to play Glenbard South Oct. 13. The match also happened to be winner-take-all for the Upstate Eight Conference East Division championship.
“We were really excited for the game and knew what was on the line so were definitely some nerves going into it,” RBHS junior Nina Johnsen said. “We even had practice on Columbus Day (with no school Oct. 12) and everyone was extremely determined and working hard. I think our team dynamic has been incredible and that chemistry really helped us. We trusted each other to get the job done.”
The Bulldogs did, defeating the Raiders 25-17, 25-9 for their third straight outright UEC East title with a 6-0 record since joining in 2024. RBHS (23-10) won all six matches in two sets. Glenbard South (21-11, 5-1) won three of its UEC East matches in three sets.
“This title is really special because of all of the work we’ve put in throughout the season,” sophomore Ella Wilkowski said. “Winning at home and being able to celebrate with our teammates, coaches and fans made it even more meaningful.”
The Bulldogs’ strong efforts included seniors Mackenzie Sloger (12 kills) and Asha Ponnappan (2 aces), Wilkowski (6 kills), sophomores Crist (22 assists, 4 kills), Sage Roldan (6 digs, 2 aces) and Kenley Callahan (7 digs) and junior Claire Evans (6 digs).
Including the former Metro Suburban Conference, this was the Bulldogs’ fourth straight conference title and fifth straight sharing their division’s best record. Sloger, Johnsen and Wilkowski began playing on varsity in their respective freshman seasons.
“The returning players have gained experience and confidence and they’ve been able to take on bigger roles. At the same time, our newcomers have worked really hard and have been willing to step up when the team needs them,” Wilkowski said.
After beating Fenwick, Oct. 14, the Bulldogs had won 10 straight, all in two sets, before going 3-2 at the 24-team Maine West Invite to finish seventh Saturday. The Bulldogs have won at least 20 matches three straight years and should surpass their 24-12 record from 2024. They were 20-15 last season.
“There’s a strong tradition of success, and it’s special to be part of a team that continues to uphold that standard,” Johnsen said. “Each year brings a different group of players and its own challenges, which makes being able to win (conference) again really rewarding.”
LTHS girls volleyball
Fueled by memories of last year’s sectional semifinal loss, Lyons Township now has visions of a West Suburban Conference Silver Division girls volleyball title. The Lions defeated Oak Park and River Forest 25-21, 25-23, Oct. 13, in the battle of state-ranked teams in La Grange to create a three-way tie for first place going into Tuesday’s final round. On their home court in the 2025 4A sectional semifinals, the Lions (27-4, 4-1 in Silver) lost to OPRF (20-8, 4-1) following a dominant first set 13-25, 25-14, 25-20.
“This one ranks a 10 (in victories),” LTHS senior libero Julia Ahrens said. “With OPRF, there’s always a lot of back and forth. This is definitely a great win for us. The whole week it’s been all I’ve been thinking about. This is the best one ever.”
Seniors Taylor Carroll (11 kills, 8 digs), Colleen Chambers (26 assists, 7 digs, 2 aces), Ahrens (9 digs, 5 assists), Avery Lee (6 digs) and Blake Spreyne (4 kills), junior Ula Garbauskas (5 kills, 3 total blocks), sophomores Olivia Pora (6 kills) and Gabby Munoz (8 service points) and freshman Francesca Wolf (4 kills) all contributed.
LTHS led the first set 23-18 before the Huskies closed to 23-21. Pora followed with consecutive kills to end the set.
“We lost to them last year in playoffs. Seeing them so excited got me fired up,” Pora said. “There’s personal passion to win this game so we really wanted to show them who we are and what we have.”
The Lions led the second set 19-13 and 21-19, but the Huskies rallied to tie at 22-22 on an ace and 23-23 after an LTHS serve was long. Carroll delivered a kill to create match point and Chambers ended it with an ace that kissed the back line.
“I think we also did a good job of staying calm in that (second) set. At no moment did we get frazzled. I think the whole time we knew we were going to win,” Ahrens said. “They have a bunch of returners from last year so we really wanted to show them that we’re a new team and shouldn’t be messed with.”
In Tuesday’s Silver finales, the Lions visited York (21-12, 2-3) and the Huskies visited Glenbard West (28-5, 4-1), which beat the Lions 25-23, 25-22 in their Silver opener Sept. 8.
In this week’s ILPrepVolleyball.com 4A state rankings, the Lions dropped from No. 3 to 5 after losing 25-22, 25-21 to New Trier (21-8) during Saturday’s New Trier Quad. OPRF and Glenbard West are No. 6 and 7. The Lions visit No. 1 Mother McAuley (30-4) Wednesday, Oct. 21.
“Especially after the sectional loss last year I think the girls had an emotional tie to the (OPRF) match,” LTHS coach Jill Bober said. “It was good to win on our home turf. It was nice we were able to finish it in two. I’m really proud of the way they played and hope they take it as encouragement for the postseason.”