Girls Volleyball: ‘This is just the beginning’ Willowbrook’s historic season comes to a close with supersectional loss to Mother McAuley

CHICAGO – The Willowbrook volleyball team has spent the entire year turning heads. Winning all but one of its first 38 matches and securing the first sectional championship in school history, it seemed there was nothing the group couldn’t achieve.

However, taking on top-ranked Mother McAuley proved to be a task too tall for the Warriors. Though it hung neck-and-neck with the vaunted Mighty Macs, Willowbrook ultimately lost 25-18, 25-21 in the Class 4A Mother McAuley Supersectional Friday night.

McAuley, 15-time state champion, advanced to face Edwardsville in next Friday’s state semifinal.

“I’m so proud of this team for just a historic run and what we’ve done for Willowbrook High School,” said Warriors coach Irene Mason. “Our goal coming into this was to get conference and regional champions again this year. We far surpassed the goals that we set for ourselves in the beginning, to the point where we had to keep making new goals every time because we were achieving them all.”

Willowbrook proved it was going to be a tough out to start the night, battling back and forth with the Mighty Macs and forcing an 8-8 tie midway through the first set. But three kills from sophomore Ellie White quickly helped push Mother McAuley to a 13-9 advantage.

White would add another kill after a Warriors timeout, with the Mighty Macs stretching their lead to as much as eight points. Kills from sophomore Calli Kenny and senior Kyla Ostrowski brought Willowbrook back within five, but Mother McAuley senior Peyton Brokemond added a pair of late spikes to secure a 25-18 set win.

“The level of intensity both teams played with tonight was impressive,” said Mason. “We knew they were a great team coming into this, and we knew the level that we were going to have to be at. I think both teams played incredible defense.”

The Warriors fell behind early in the second set, calling a timeout after Mother McAuley grabbed a 9-3 lead. With nerves settled, Willowbrook clawed its way back into the contest, trimming the deficit to 15-14 thanks to crucial kills from Hannah Kenny. The freshman led the team with six kills on the night, proudly letting everyone know the stage wasn’t too big for her.

“I knew I really had to come through for our team,” Kenny said. “We needed a fire, and somebody needed to step up. All the cheering and that energy, it really just makes me want to play better.”

Those efforts didn’t go unnoticed from her coach.

“She’s a one-of-a-kind type of kid,” Mason said of Kenny. “Early on during one playoff game, she did say the nerves got to her a little bit. We worked on some stuff with that in practice, and she hasn’t turned around since.”

Kenny added another kill down the stretch, forcing Mother McAuley to cling to a 21-20 edge. But the Mighty Macs responded with a 4-1 run, blocking a final Willowbrook kill attempt and bringing its triumphant season to a close.

Though they fell short of the state semifinals, the Warriors know such a successful year will only increase expectations from here on out. Yet, it’s a challenge they’re more than ready for, with Kenny already eyeing a rematch just minutes after the game’s conclusion.

“I’m ready to come back next year, beat Mother McAuley and go to state,” said Kenny. “This is just the beginning for us. We’re all ready for bigger things to come.”