Girls volleyball: Willowbrook storms past OPRF

HINSDALE – Nothing seemed to faze Willowbrook’s volleyball team on Wednesday night.

The Warriors entered the Class 4A Hinsdale Central Sectional final looking to change their recent history. Despite numerous negative factors in play against the Warriors at Hinsdale Central, they remained laser-focused against nemesis Oak Park-River Forest.

After losing the first set, the Warriors roared back thanks to a solid effort from their entire lineup to post a 23-25, 25-23, 25-12 victory over the top-seeded Huskies.

Not even an official’s mistake which awarded a point to the Huskies late in the first set seemed to bother them.

“This has been such a special season and most of us are seniors, so we didn’t want to go out (with a loss) and the whole season we wanted to go to state,” said Willowbrook senior Calli Kenny, who had 21 kills, 20 assists, four digs and two aces. “One of the things that also affected our adrenaline was not only losing the first set, but also the score was wrong, so we were all just mad but in a good way. After the second set, we had the confidence and momentum.”

Nor did their history with the Huskies, who handed the Warriors their lone defeat of the regular season.

“We had nothing to lose because we had already lost to them, so we just wanted to go out and play (hard),” Calli Kenny added.

Willowbrook junior setter Hannah Kenny said the scoring mishap, which occurred with the Warriors up by one point late in the first set, motivated the team.

“I think the first set we were pretty mad because I’m pretty sure there was a scoring (mistake),” said Hannah Kenny, who had 20 assists, four blocks and 15 digs. “We weren’t sure we deserved to lose that first set, but we came out in the next set blazing. We all just wanted it so extremely bad that in the huddle we were ready to go out there.”

Even the Warriors’ stinging playoff defeats in the last few years didn’t affect them.

In 2022, Willowbrook’s season ended in a sectional final loss to St. Charles East.

Two years ago, Willowbrook lost to Mother McAuley in a supersectional.

“We lost to them earlier in the season,” Willowbrook coach Irene Mason said. “But from the beginning of the season, we had our goals and expectations set high.”

The Warriors (38-1) set a new program record for wins in a season and extended their streak to 19 victories in a row to set up a date with Joliet West at the Bolingbrook Supersectional on Friday at 6 p.m.

Mason said her team showed tremendous resolve defeating the Huskies.

“We showed tonight by coming back from that interesting first set against a great Oak Park team,” Mason said. “This shows what type of team we have. I think a lot of people question our abilities sometimes, our strength of schedule but we’ve shown it against some of the best teams in the state. A lot of people think we’re a two (player) show team, but we’re more than that. We have a lot of players who contributed. We need that every night to keep moving forward.”

The Kenny connection was one of the key factors in the Warriors reaching the supersectional, but the comeback was fueled by countless big plays from throughout the lineup. Calli Kenny was the driving engine in the victory, dropping down key kills and aces while inspiring her teammates with her steady play and inspiring speeches.

Her younger sister, Hannah Kenney, was all over the court, digging big shots from OPRF’s Grace Nelson, a Kansas recruit, while playing strong at the net. Eliza Ramey and Elle Bruschuk helped neutralize Nelson in the final two sets with numerous key blocks, along with Anna Marinier’s solid play at the net. Junior Lily Javier was instrumental with momentum-building kills.

“I think in the last few weeks we’ve really been playing as a team,” Calli Kenny said, a Marquette recruit. “Our outside hitters have been really stepping up so well, just getting smart shots and blocks. Our defense was exceptional too. Our middles, too. We had some clutch swings in the middle. This win gives us a lot of confidence. This was our only loss of the season, so to come back and beat them makes us feel really good but our job is not done.”

Ramey said the Warriors relied on a collective effort to knock off the Huskies (31-7).

“I think our team has great chemistry and we all work together and cheer each other on,” Ramey said. “Everyone contributes and go all-out. We had good effort and started off strong in the second and third sets.”

After leading the majority of the first set, the Warriors had to regroup following their disappointing loss. Calli Kenny pounded two crucial kills to help erase an early six-point deficit, then added two kills in a row to give her team a 17-12 lead. The Huskies battled back to seize a 20-19 lead, but Ramey followed with three block kills and Calli Kenny added a pair of kills to secure the second set win.

In the third set, the Warriors ran out to a 14-7 lead, partly due to three consecutive kills by Calli Kenny. Hannah Kenny punched the Warriors’ ticket to the next round with the match-winning kill.

“Everybody played so good today and we wanted it so bad,” Hannah Kenny said. “I think we are at our best when we spread the ball around. Everybody got kills, everybody’s defense picked up and everybody’s serve-receive picked up. It really was a team effort. That’s what really helped us win. Obviously, my sister played a great game, but everybody had really key and important moments where they stepped up big and did what they were needed to do. Coming out with so much fire and energy, we shut them down (in the third set).”