St. JOSEPH - Spartans' Cameron Wagner is all smiles after St. Joseph-Ogden Wyatt Wertz scores the winning nail in the Vandalia coffin in their Class 3A quarterfinal game. SJO defeated the Vandals 38-24 at home on Saturday.
Illini Prairie Conference scores
St. Joseph-Ogden 38, Vandalia 24
Unity 42, Williamsville 7
St. Joseph-Ogden 38, Vandalia 24
Unity 21, Williamsville 7
Richmond-Burton 31, Monmouth-Roseville 6
Byron 28, IC Catholic 6
CLASS 4A:
Montini 47, Coal City 0
Morris 28, Geneseo 26
Breese Central 36, Cahokia 12
Rochester 41, Sacred Heart-Griffin 35
CLASS 5A:
Belvidere North 17, Cary-Grove 10
Wheaton St. Francis 44, Chicago King 14
Providence Catholic 39, Washington 6
Oak Forest 34, Peoria 20
CLASS 6A:
Nazareth Academy 24, Lake Zurich 21
Fenwick 49, Burlington Central 21
East St. Louis 49, Simeon 0
St. Laurence 28, Dunlap 14
CLASS 7A:
Batavia 42, Glenbard North 27
Downers Grove North 28, Lincoln-Way West 10
St. Rita 56, Hersey 42
Brother Rice 42, St. Charles North 18
CLASS 8A:
Oswego 24, Maine South 21
Mt. Carmel 48, Lincoln-Way East 7
Lockport 35, Barrington 0
Fremd 34, Bolingbrook 33
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Normal University controlled both sets against Prairie Ridge with balanced hitting and minimal errors.
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
Prairie Ridge libero Tegan Vrbbancic digs a kill shot from Normal U-High in the second set of their state semifinal match.
NORMAL - Prairie Ridge has been on this stage before. Five times now, the Wolves have stepped beneath the state finals lights, trying to summon the right mix of steadiness, grit and energy to reach a championship match. On Friday at CEFCU Arena on the Illinois State University campus, that experience helped them stay composed, but it wasn’t enough to withstand the precision and firepower Normal University brought to the Class 3A state semifinals at the IHSA Girls Volleyball State Finals. The Pioneers controlled both sets and handed Prairie Ridge a 25-20, 25-18 loss that sent the Wolves into today’s third-place match.
From the opening serve, Prairie Ridge showed the composure of a program comfortable at this level. The Wolves struck first and managed to build a brief 3-2 edge, leaning on clean touches and quick transitions. But U-High’s offensive rhythm tightened almost immediately. Junior outside hitter Laney Snow delivered back-to-back kills to push the Pioneers ahead 4-3. Prairie Ridge’s Adeline Grider answered with a sharp swing of her own to level the score once more, but Snow responded again with another kill that put U-High in front 5-4. It was a small moment in the box score, but it marked the beginning of a shift in control.
From there, the Pioneers didn’t let up. U-High played an exceptionally clean first set, committing just one error while building a lead that swelled as large as eight points. Their serve receive was crisp, their defense steady, and their offense ran with the kind of balance that forces opponents to pick their poison. Prairie Ridge stayed within striking distance through stretches of the frame, but each small opening they created was quickly answered at the net.
Grider gave the Wolves their strongest spark, finishing with 12 kills, seven digs and an assist. Abigail Smith added seven kills and two digs, giving Prairie Ridge solid production at the pins. Setter Addison Smith worked to keep the offense moving, distributing 23 assists while directing the Wolves’ efforts to mix tempo and find seams through U-High’s block. But it wasn’t enough to overcome the Pioneers’ consistency. Prairie Ridge committed 11 errors across the match — nine of them in the second set — while U-High limited its mistakes to just one error in the first set and three in the second.
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
Normal University volleyball players on the bench stand to celebrate another point for their team. The Pioneers advanced to today's title match for a shot at the Class 3A crown.
The Wolves needed a clean start to the second set to reset the momentum, and for a while, they found one. The teams traded points and tied the score seven times after the opening serve. Prairie Ridge dug in defensively, with Tegan Vrbrancic anchoring the floor and finishing with eight digs to lead the team. The Wolves' block tightened, forcing longer rallies and creating pockets of energy from their student section.
Still, U-High remained sharp. Snow, who finished with 11 kills and nine digs, stayed efficient throughout the frame. Ava Crabtree added eight kills and eight digs, giving the Pioneers reliable production on both sides of the court. Their two-setter system kept the Wolves off balance, with Morgan Petelin and Madison Funk finishing with 14 assists each. Funk also contributed seven digs, often extending plays that looked finished.
The turning point came with U-High leading 17-15. Emma Jean Bogusz stepped to the service line and seized control of the set. Her serve run stretched to six consecutive points, pushing the lead to 23-17 and silencing any hopes Prairie Ridge had of forcing a decisive third frame. Three serves later, Penn Taylor sealed the match with a solo block, sending U-High into tonight’s championship match at 5:30 p.m.
U-High, meanwhile, advances to face Nazareth, a program with a growing collection of state trophies — one championship, one runner-up and one third-place finish. With the Pioneers performing at their sharpest, tonight’s title match promises to be a strong finale to the Class 3A season.
Prairie Ridge now turns its attention to the third-place match against Providence Catholic, which fell to Nazareth Academy in its semifinal. The Wolves have one more opportunity to close their season with hardware and a performance that reflects their experience and resolve.
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TAGS: Prairie Ridge vs Normal U-High IHSA Class 3A volleyball semifinal recap, Normal University Pioneers straight-set win over Prairie Ridge analysis, Illinois high school volleyball state finals Prairie Ridge performance, U-High volleyball postseason run to 3A championship match details, Prairie Ridge volleyball third-place match preview against Providence Catholic
Columbia swept Rockford Christian 25-18, 25-8 in the IHSA Class 2A semifinals. The win sends Columbia to Saturday’s championship match.
Photos: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
Rockford Christian's Odessa Bucciferro celebrates a point for the Royal Lions during the second set of her team's match against Columbia. Bucciferro and her team lost the match to the Eagles and will play for third place on Saturday in their first-ever state appearance.
NORMAL - Columbia didn’t waste a second proving why it entered championship weekend with one of the most imposing records in Class 2A. The Eagles (38-1) swept Rockford Christian 25-18, 25-8 on Friday at CEFCU Arena, rolling into the Class 2A state title match behind a fast, polished attack that never trailed in either set.
Under the glare of television lights and in front of nearly 1,000 spectators, Rockford Christian (34-6) held its own early. The Royal Lions, making the program’s first-ever appearance in the volleyball final four, traded points with Columbia until the Eagles nudged ahead 20-18 late in the opening frame. An attack error by Madison Anspaugh opened the door, and Ella Horner took full advantage by serving out the final five points.
Photos: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
LEFT: Rockford Christian's Devon Turner and Odessa Bucciferro collide while trying to keep the ball in play. RIGHT: Columbia's Kinley Jany and Ella Horner celebrate a point for the Eagles.
Columbia’s steadiness took hold from there. The Eagles matched their 12-kill first set with another 12 in the second, but this time the separation was immediate. They opened the frame with an 11-0 surge, punctuated by strong serving and crisp transition play. Rockford Christian didn’t break through until Devon Turner put down a kill set by senior setter Julia Irvin. The Royal Lions managed just seven more points before Columbia closed out the 44-minute match.
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
Columbia's Claire Sandstrom passes the ball to the front row during second set action against Rockford Christian. The junior led the match with 11 kills, two digs, and one assist, advancing the Eagles to Saturday's Class 2A title match at the IHSA Girls Volleyball State Finals.
Junior outside hitter Claire Sandstrom paced the Eagles with 11 kills, two digs and an assist. Senior Kinley Jany added four kills, two aces and eight digs. Marly Mathews supplied three kills, while seniors Ava Mathewes and Maura Kohlenberger combined for four kills, with Mathewes contributing 11 assists and Kohlenberger involved in four blocks.
Rockford Christian spread its offense across four hitters. Turner finished with six kills, Anspaugh had four kills and two digs, and Allison Lynde added three. Junior Teagan Lawver chipped in two kills. Irvin supplied 11 of the team’s 14 assists, with Odessa Bucciferro recording the other three. The Royal Lions produced 12 kills in a competitive first set but were limited to only three in the second.
The semifinal marked the team’s first loss since Oct. 18, when the Royal Lions fell to Class 4A Stevenson in a three-set match at the Woodstock North Tournament. Anspaugh entered the weekend as Rockford Christian’s leading hitter with 451 kills and 56 aces, while Irvin began the tournament with 779 assists.
Columbia advances to Saturday’s championship match against Bloomington Central Catholic, which reached the final after finishing as last year’s runner-up in a tight three-set battle against Breese Mater Dei. Rockford Christian will play Port Byron Riverdale for third place.
For Columbia, the appearance marks the program’s second trip to a state final. The Eagles reached the title match in 2005, falling to Breese Central. Their only loss this season also came against Breese Central, a September meeting that Columbia now hopes proves to be the lone blemish on an otherwise remarkable run.
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TAGS: Columbia Eagles IHSA Class 2A volleyball semifinal win, Rockford Christian volleyball first state final four appearance, Columbia volleyball team wins state semifinal, Columbia to play for state title, Rockford Christian to play for third at state
