Senior outside hitter and four-year starter Kelley Crowley had her Downers Grove North volleyball career end Thursday as one of the program’s all-time greats.

The Northern Michigan recruit’s emergence on and off the court can be traced to head coach Mark Wasik and assistant Meghan Nauss.

“(Nauss and Wasik) believed in me since I was a freshman. It was super special to me, because a lot of other coaches said I was too short or did too much,” Crowley said. “(They) just saw my talent and what I was capable of, put trust in me and made me a lot more confident.”

Despite their season of key injuries and adversity, the Trojans came ever-so-close to their first sectional title since 2019.

Oak Park-River Forest rallied to prevail 25-20, 10-25, 25-23 in the Class 4A Lyons Township Sectional final and rubber match between the West Suburban Silver co-champions.

“These past three weeks, we moved the needle so much and got so much better,” Crowley said. “I think that’s the frustrating part today, knowing we could have played so much better. OPRF played good. We just couldn’t finish those last two points, but we had a great season.”

Downers North (27-12), the sectional’s No. 2 seed, saw an earlier 12-6 third-set lead evaporate, but went ahead 23-22 on a kill by Nicole Liu.

No. 1-seed OPRF (26-7) answered with a kill for a 23-23 tie. Then the Trojans lost control of an apparent freeball to give ORPF a match-point opportunity. The Huskies closed out the match with junior Emmi Bozarth’s back-row kill.

The Trojans lost in the sectional final for the second year in a row.

“Those (last) two points are magnified, but there were plenty of opportunities before that we should have taken care of but didn’t,” Wasik said. “We had a significant lead and then let them come back. Then it’s anybody’s game.”

Crowley (13 kills, eight digs, two aces) fueled the Trojans along with Nicole Liu (13 kills, nine digs), Madi Mastalarz (32 assists, 11 digs, two aces), Angelika Krob (14 digs), Nora Benjamins (five kills) and Samantha Hancock (three kills, three total blocks).

Wasik emphasized this season’s leadership by Crowley and other seniors.

“What’s so phenomenal is (Crowley) wants it so bad, probably the best leader I’ve ever had,” Wasik said. “If a practice was kind of dull or looking flat, she’d call them in and say, ‘This is not acceptable.’ That’s why we got to the level we got to, even with all of the adversity we had.”

Last season, Crowley impressively returned for the postseason after MCL knee surgery that early September.

This season, Crowley was the one supporting and encouraging injured teammates. Returning starting sophomore setter Ellery Cabaj has been out since early October, but freshman Mastalarz excelled in running the Trojans’ 5-1 offense. Senior Benjamins missed time with back issues in mid-October but returned fewer than two weeks later. Defensive specialist Anabel Miller and middle Sienna Shelton also battled injuries.

“We really overachieved when you look at all of the adversity we had to face,” Wasik said. “That said, we had our chances (Thursday) and ‘woulda, coulda, shoulda.’ ”

Following the Trojans’ dominant second set, they appeared in charge in the third set. Then the Huskies’ four straight points to lead 14-13 indicated a shifting momentum.

Three straight points served by Crowley, starting with an ace, put the Trojans back ahead 22-21.

“I think we just kind of played timid towards the end, and they got all of the momentum,” Crowley said.

The Huskies captured their first sectional since 2013, when first-year head coach Symone Speech played for the team.

Samantha Shelton (14 kills), Bozarth (13 kills, 14 digs), Erin Dwyer (29 assists), Devyn Kleidon (nine kills) and Kathryn Bailitz (17 digs) led OPRF.

This victory was unlike the Huskies’ previous two. They started slow and lost first sets before winning in three over Hinsdale Central in the regional final and Lyons Township in the sectional semifinal.

“I think that is the name of their game – they fight, play hard, make adjustments, and they’re just gritty. I couldn’t have asked for a better group,” said Speech, previously an OPRF assistant.

“I feel like this entire playoffs have been a fight. We’re used to a fight. Although they’re stressful (to play and coach), they’re ready for it.”