Two-time defending champion Marist, Mother McAuley and Lockport return a ton of talent and should be state title contenders.
Top 10 Teams
1. Marist (36-5): Is a third straight Class 4A state title in the works? Senior outside hitters Taylor Berg (Western Michigan) and Maggie Kurpeikis (Michigan), junior setter/outside hitter Kelly Ryan (Western Michigan) and senior middle hitter Kate Steinmetz join super sophomore setter Haven Enselman in trying to make that happen.
2. Mother McAuley (34-5): Old news? With senior setter Peyton Heatherly (Coastal Carolina), sophomore middle Chyla Jukes, senior right-side hitter Jayce Prohaska (Campbell) and junior outside hitter Keira McQuillan (UConn) returning, the Mighty Macs will be a state power as usual. New news? They scheduled an inaugural home outdoor match on Sept. 18 against Loyola.
3. Lockport (34-8): After back-to-back Class 4A third-place finishes, the Porters are still stacked. They lost star outside hitter Bridget Ferriter to graduation, but 6-foot-3 senior middle Kyla Mitchell is back after missing last season with an injury. The Virginia recruit is joined by senior setters Natalie Bochantin (Milwaukee) and Malley Green (Seton Hill). Senior right-side hitter Hutsyn Timosciek and senior libero Emma Consigny also are back.
4. Lincoln-Way East (29-9): Senior right-side hitter Klarke Mosby (Eastern Michigan) is out for the season with an ACL injury, but the Griffins will still have some firepower. This season, junior outside hitter Kolby Ross (Illinois) could break the program record of 867 career kills.
5. St. Laurence (26-12): Senior outside hitter Aubrey Martinez (Ball State), tabbed to be a libero in college, will say goodbye to her role as an attacker after this fall. She opens the season with 913 career kills. Julia O’Keefe is a freshman setter who could make a big impact after being named an All-American in club.
6. Providence (35-7): Heavy graduation losses affect the Celtics, who took third in the state in Class 3A last season. But junior hitters Kennady Kotowski and Lily Lipke, junior setter Olivia Healy and senior libero Maddie Johnson will try to help lead the team to its fourth straight sectional title.
7. Chicago Christian (29-11): Five starters are back from a team that reached the Elite Eight in Class 2A. That list includes senior outside hitter Quinn Grevengoed (Southern Indiana), who has 1,169 career kills and hopes to land in the top 10 in the Illinois High School Association record books. Sydney Harris is coming off strong sophomore season in the middle for the Knights.
8. Lemont (25-13): South Suburban Blue champ Lemont lost nine seniors from last season, but senior outside hitter Kaitlyn Wilson, senior middle hitter Marta Pranskunas and junior outside hitter Maddie Maloney form strong trifecta for new coach Peggy Clemens, who comes over from Stagg.
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9. Shepard (26-10): Senior outside hitters Jenna Powers and Kerry Wrobel will try to keep up the winning tradition for the Astros, who haven’t had a losing season since 2009.
10. Sandburg (13-24): Senior attackers Bella Maras, Ellery Dyra and Mya Slowikowski have been a part of two growing-pain seasons, but the Eagles hope to rebound under coach David Vales, who is three wins away from 500 wins for the girls and two away from 900 for girls and boys.
The 25 Players to Watch
• Taylor Berg, Marist, senior, outside hitter.
• Natalie Bochantin, Lockport, senior, setter.
• Haven Enselman, Marist, sophomore, setter.
• Mikayla Frazer, Marian Catholic, junior, outside hitter.
• Ella Godeaux, Joliet Catholic, senior, libero.
• Quinn Grevengoed, Chicago Christian, senior, outside hitter.
• Peyton Heatherly, Mother McAuley, senior, setter.
• Maddie Johnson, Providence, senior, libero.
• Lucinda Joyce, Crete-Monee, junior, outside hitter.
• Chyla Jukes, Mother McAuley, sophomore, middle hitter.
• Amelia Kadamus, Stagg, senior, middle hitter.
• Maggie Kurpeikis, Marist, senior, outside hitter.
• Bella Maras, Sandburg, senior, outside hitter.
• Aubrey Martinez, St. Laurence, senior, outside hitter.
• Elena Mason, Lincoln-Way West, junior, libero.
• Keira McQuillan, Mother McAuley, junior, outside hitter.
• Kyla Mitchell, Lockport, senior, middle hitter.
• Jenna Powers, Shepard, senior, outside hitter.
• Kolby Ross, Lincoln-Way East, junior, outside hitter.
• Layla Smith, T.F. South, junior, outside hitter.
• Leila Taylor, Lincoln-Way East, senior, middle hitter.
• Ella Thompson, Lincoln-Way Central, senior, middle hitter.
• Hutsyn Timosciek, Lockport, senior, right-side hitter.
• Tiara Williams, Morgan Park Academy, senior, outside hitter.
• Kaitlyn Wilson, Lemont, senior, outside hitter.
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.