Prairie Ridge junior libero Tegan Vrbancic and the never-say-die Wolves had been working toward this moment all season.

After dropping the first set against St. Viator, Prairie Ridge had nowhere to go but up.

“We just wanted it,” said Vrbancic, who, like her hungry teammates, hit the floor often and even collided with the padded gym wall on her way to collecting a team-high 23 digs. “There was a different drive going into that huddle. We knew there was something we needed to prove.”

ExpandAutoplay

Image 1 of 26

Prairie Ridge’s Addy Grider celebrates a point against St. Viator in IHSA Class 3A Super-Sectional girls volleyball at Streamwood High School in Streamwood on Monday, November 10, 2025. (Patrick Kunzer for Shaw Local/Patrick Kunzer for Shaw Local)

On Monday, Prairie Ridge proved that it can turn it on at any moment.

The top-seeded Wolves rallied and won the last two sets for a 21-25, 25-20, 25-22 win at the Class 3A Streamwood Supersectional to earn back-to-back trips to the state tournament after taking third last year.

Top-seeded St. Viator, looking for its first state berth since 2017, ended the season a win short at 32-8.

“I’m so proud of the girls,” Wolves first-year coach Leah Groat said. “I’m just so happy that they’ve been able to come together through all of the crazy things that have happened this season and see how successful and talented they all are.”

Prairie Ridge (32-7), playing without junior outside hitter and Missouri commit Maizy Agnello, who injured her ankle four weeks ago, had the top two attackers on the court in senior Abby Smith (16 kills, three blocks) and junior Adeline Grider (15 kills, 19 digs).

Senior setter Addi Smith, Abby’s twin sister, was able to put the ball wherever she wanted and finished with 37 assists, 10 digs and three kills.

All of the Wolves’ options made it tough on the Lions.

“No. 16 on the outside [Grider] can go up and swing very hard, and No. 3 [Abby Smith] can hit shots both down the line and middle of the court,” said St. Viator coach Charlie Curtin, whose Lions earned their fourth sectional title and third in the past five seasons.

“Their setter [Addi Smith] is very aggressive running the 5-1. When she’s front row, it’s like another attacker.”

Abby Smith, with her team on the verge of ending its season, came alive in the second set with nine of her 16 kills. The lefty put down kills for the Wolves’ 22nd, 23rd and 24th points of the set before senior Harleigh Serpico gave Prairie Ridge the set win with her first kill.

A tight third set saw the Wolves and Lions tied nine times, including at 14, 15, 16, 18 and 19.

Up 20-19 following a kill by Abby Smith, sophomore outside hitter Lauren Bruce scored back-to-back points with a kill on a free ball, followed by a block against St. Viator’s Olivia Walberg, to give her team a 22-19 lead.

Before that moment, Bruce had just one kill.

“We were so much more energetic and think we all knew this was do-or-die,” Bruce said of losing the opening set, a set the Wolves never had a lead. “We really needed to just go, and we just brought it all together.

“Everyone contributed something, and that’s what made it possible.”

“That was so huge,” Grider said of Bruce’s third-set heroics. “We needed another fighting force in the front row, and she stepped up to the challenge.”

Bruce (eight digs), Serpico (two blocks) and junior Sonora Bekere each had three kills, while senior Kaelin Bacak chipped in 13 digs.

Prairie Ridge again was playing without Agnello, who broke the team record with 483 kills as a sophomore.

Grider and Abby Smith, among others, have stepped up in her absence.

“It was obviously a big loss,” said Grider, who gave her team a 24-21 lead with her 15th kill before a service error ended the match. “We relied on her heavy. “She’s obviously amazing, but we all collectively took a step up. We all had to show up.”

St. Viator was led offensively by senior outside hitter Erin Lynch (the team’s all-times kills leader) with 13 kills, a block and an ace and senior Avery Albritton (six kills, four blocks). Walberg, a junior, had six kills and three blocks, senior Grace Geary had five kills and three blocks, and senior Mary Francl posted six kills.

Junior setter Olive Meyers had 17 assists, junior Rose Berlen had 15 assists and an ace, and senior Gabby Vitullo added an ace.

“I was proud of our girls for never giving up,” Curtin said. “I think a couple of breaks went [Prairie Ridge’s] way. They continued to attack pretty hard, and we didn’t press over on a couple of blocks and didn’t pick up the roll shots a couple of times.

“This was a great season and a group of girls. ... They love each other, both on and off the court. They’re always hanging out together, so that was fun to see.”

Albritton, who will play next year at New Hampshire, was proud of her team’s season and finish.

Entering Monday, the team had won 18 straight matches.

“I think we thought that second set was in the bag,” Albritton said. “We didn’t realize they were going fight back, but I still think we put our all into tonight. We’ve accomplished so much this season. Even though we lost this game, we should be proud.”

Prairie Ridge heads back to Illinois State University’s CEFCU Arena, looking to make history. The Wolves, whose best state finish is second (2004 and 2005) meet No. 1 Normal University at approximately 5:30 p.m. Friday in a semifinal.

“We’re so excited to go back, and we’re just going do our best there,” Abby Smith said. “It’s awesome.”