#50
LANE TECH COLLEGE PREP | CHICAGO
Regional Titles: 4 *
Chicago Public League Titles: 10
State Final Qualifications/Trophies: 9/0
State Final Coaches: Ron Borck (1983, 1993, 1996, 1999, 2000), Armand Graupera (1986, 1987, 1989, 1990)
First Team All-State Players: 1986 – Diane Kruto
Lane Tech: Illinois high school girls were first permitted to play interscholastic volleyball matches in 1973. A year later, the Illinois High School Association saw 481 schools enter post-season play (compared to about 700 nowadays) which culminated in the first state tournament at Eastern Illinois University’s Lantz Gymnasium. Between 1974 and 2001, the champion of the 65-team Chicago Public League gained automatic entry into the IHSA state tournament quarterfinals (except in 1976 when the CPL champion entered at the Sweet 16 level). After a two-class system was introduced in 1977, the CPL qualifiers played in Class AA. The most frequent CPL entrant among the league’s 11 state qualifiers all-time was Chicago Lane Tech, which made nine state trips between 1983 and 2000. Tying for the second most state visits were Morgan Park, Payton, and Simeon with three each. Alas, no CPL team reached the semifinals until Payton placed fourth in Class 3A in 2008. The winningest of the Indians’ state entrants was the 1989 squad that finished 33-4 under Coach Armand Graupera. After winning the CPL title over Hyde Park that year to advance to the Elite Eight, Graupera told the media, “This is the best defensive team we’ve ever had.” That defense, however, could not prevent a 15-3, 12-15, 16-14 quarterfinal loss to LaGrange Lyons. The Lane Tech state qualifier with the highest winning percentage (at .935) was Graupera’s 29-2 squad of 1986. That team, which was extended to three sets only twice during the regular season, was led by 5-foot-8 Diane Kruto and 6-1 Kim Gervais. Graupera’s state-qualifying team of 1987, which featured four returning starters, overcame schedule disruptions caused by a 19-day teachers’ strike to finish 24-5-1. Lane Tech’s 11-year run of CPL titles from 1980 to 1990 began with Ron Borck as coach. The most successful of his five state-qualifying teams were the 23-10 squad of 1999 and the 23-12 unit of 2000. Borck, who coached every sport at Lane Tech except football during a 38-year teaching career, retired after the 2000 season with a 322-113-9 record over 16 years that spanned two stints as volleyball coach.
* Chicago Public Schools did not compete for IHSA Regionals or Sectionals until 2003.
#49
JOHN HERSEY HIGH SCHOOL | ARLINGTON HEIGHTS
Regional Titles: 29
District Titles: 1
Sectional Titles: 8
State Final Trophies: 3
State Championship Appearances/Titles: 1/0
1988-AA: Jacksonville 2, Hersey 0 (35-8)
State Final Coach: Nancy (Rimdzius) Lill (1988, 1993, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2004)
First Team All-State Players: 1988 – Amy Peistrup; 1989 – Karlin Sander; 1990 – Kim Nieman; 1994 – Karen Stewart; 1995 – Abbie Willenborg; 2000 – Janet Goreham; 2005 – Megan Fesl; 2006 – Annie Fesl; 2012 – Abby Fesl; 2019 – Kati Kaburov.
Hersey: Roughly 700 schools enter the IHSA state series each year. A shared attribute among many top teams is coaching continuity. Hersey got that and more from Nancy Lill, who finished with a 1,045-317-5 record to rank fourth in wins in state history. During the Hall of Famer’s 1988-to-2021 tenure at Hersey, she won 27 regionals, eight sectionals, and six super-sectionals. Lill’s best state showing came in 1988. That 35-8 squad lost to Jacksonville in the Class AA final, 19-17, 15-7. Hersey’s star in 1988 was 5-foot-10 Amy Peistrup, who had 368 kills and 236 assists during the regular season. “Amy may be the most efficient player in the state,” her coach said. “Of all the all-staters, in four years I think Amy will go the farthest. She’ll be a great setter in college.” That prediction came true as Peistrup became an All-American at North Carolina and later played professional beach volleyball. Hersey’s second state trophy was for third in 1993. That 35-6-1 squad, which had no seniors, included 5-11 Missouri-recruit Renee Rosinski. The 1994 Huskies, who went 37-4, returned to the Elite Eight where they were eliminated in the quarterfinals by eventual champion Chicago Mother McAuley, 15-7, 16-14. “I don’t think we played our best match,” Lill told the media. “The mental errors killed us.” Hersey’s last state trophy – for fourth in 1997 – capped a 21-20-1 season that set a state record for most losses by a Final Four qualifier. Hersey’s standouts that year included 5-8 Laurie Anderson, who hit a modest .200 during the season, but caught fire in the post-season, hitting .313. Among the stars in 1999 was Jessica Brizzolara, who had over 800 assists. “She is one of the top setters in the state,” Lill said. In 2000, 6-0 DePaul-recruit Janet Goreham finished with a then school-record 876 career kills. Hersey’s most recent state trip – and last sectional title – came in 2004 when it finished 32-8. That squad included 6-1 junior Megan Fesl, who went on to tally a school-record 1,141 career kills before playing at Notre Dame. Fesl’s sisters, Abby and Annie, also starred at Hersey. Annie Fesl, a Cincinnati recruit, finished her prep career in 2006 with a school-record 2,465 assists. In 2012, Abby Fesl, who later played at North Florida and Ohio State, upped that assist record to 2,568. Hersey’s star in 2019 was 5-11 Kati Kaburov, who extended the school record for career kills to 1,381 before playing at Boston College and Lehigh.
#48
NEW TRIER HIGH SCHOOL | WINNETKA
Regional Titles: 29
District Titles: 5
Sectional Titles: 14
State Final Trophies: 3
State Championship Appearances/Titles: 2/1
1974: New Trier East 2, Rich East 1 (16-1)
2012-4A: Lisle Benet 2, New Trier 1 (39-2)
State Final Coaches: Bonnie Beach (1974), Hannah Hsieh (2000, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2012, 2013)
First Team All-State Players: 2000 – Alexis Geocaris; 2013 – Taylor Tashima.
New Trier: If the state volleyball tournament had charter members, Winnetka New Trier would surely be one. In the 1974-75 season, when the school was known as New Trier East, it won the inaugural, single-class state championship over Park Forest Rich East, 15-10, 6-15, 15-3, at Charleston in January of 1975 to cap a 16-1 season for Coach Bonnie Beach. (Nowadays, schools can play a maximum of 35 matches including four tournaments. The IHSA switched to a two-class system in 1977 and a four-class system in 2007. It adopted 25-point rally scoring in 2003). So far, fate and talented foes have denied the Indians (they became Trevians in 1981 when New Trier East and New Trier West combined to form New Trier) a second state title, but their status as a perennial volleyball powerhouse is indisputable. New Trier’s collection of regional/district titles – 34 in all – has grown every decade since the 1970s. Most recently the school of over 4,200 students earned Class 4A state trophies for second in 2012 (39-2) and third in 2013 (31-4). In 1974, Beach focused on managing pressure. “The pressure was more internal than external,” she told the media. “I think they’ve known all along they were capable of being state champions.” New Trier East’s only loss in 1974 came against Oak Park, 15-4, 15-1. Beach labeled the state tournament “really exciting, probably even more so because we didn’t know the other teams and how they played.” In the Elite Eight, New Trier East opened with a quarterfinal win over Rockford West before downing Red Bud (enrollment 525) in the semifinals. A crowd of 2,500 watched the final, quite a change from New Trier East’s usual audience of 50 to 75 fans. Two of Beach’s stars, Janet Roberts and Lauren Goebel, made the all-tournament team. When the squad returned to Winnetka, it was greeted with a police escort. Over the ensuing decades, New Trier won nine more sectionals before returning to the state tourney in 2012. Coach Hannah Hsieh’s 2012 team had four future Division I players in 6-foot setter Taylor Tashima (Northwestern), 6-3 Haley Fauntleroy (Virginia), 6-5 Sarah Shafiq (California), and libero Emmy Friedler (Penn). After losing to Lisle Benet, 21-25, 25-22, 25-17, in the 2012 final, Hsieh said, “We weren’t making some of the adjustments that we wanted to make on defense quickly, and then we played a little bit tight on offense and made some unforced errors.” In 2013, Tashima was named the Chicago Sun-Times Player of the Year. She later played professionally in Switzerland. Hsieh, who began coaching at New Trier in 1996, took a 763-266 record into the 2024 season, leaving the Hall of Famer 24th in state history for most wins.
#47
PRINCETON HIGH SCHOOL | PRINCETON
Regional Titles: 19
District Titles: 4
Sectional Titles: 11
State Final Trophies: 2
State Championship Appearances/Titles: 1/1
1990-A: Princeton 2, Huntley 0 (36-2-1)
State Final Coaches: Rita Placek (1980, 1990, 1994), Andy Puck (2008)
First Team All-State Players: 1990 – Nicole Coates.
Princeton: The pinnacle of Princeton volleyball came in 1990 when Coach Rita Placek’s 36-2-1 Tigresses came from behind in both sets to top Huntley in the Class A state final, 15-12, 16-14. Known for their strong serving, the Tigresses notched a still-standing state record of 503 aces in 1990. “This is the best team I have ever coached,” Placek said. “We have three good hitters, and the others carry their load.” Those Tigresses remain the only team in any sport in Princeton history to win a state title. Their leaders in the final were all-tournament selections Nicole Coates (15 kills), Tina Forth (18 assists), and Karen Flaherty (three kills). “Ever since I was little, I wanted to play in the state tournament,” said Coates, who later played at Notre Dame. “My mom was a referee here and I would watch from the stands.” Placek’s first state-qualifying squad was her 19-5 team in 1980 that lost to Elmhurst Immaculate Conception in the quarterfinals. Among Princeton’s standouts that year was Mary Bouxsein, who still holds the state record for career aces with 573 over 87 matches (6.5 per match). Bouxsein twice had 22 aces in a single match (against Sterling in 1978 and Henry in 1981), marks that rank second in state history behind the record of 26 set by Nashville’s Sherri Heseman in 1978. Placek’s final state trip in 1994 saw her Tigresses lose in the quarterfinals to Huntley to finish 28-7-2. Her leaders were four-year starter Megan Laine, a setter, and three-year starters Janda Forristall and Courtney Sapp, both hitters. The tallest Tigresse was the 5-foot-9 Forristall. “In Princeton, we don’t grow them very tall,” lamented Placek. “The tall people live in another town.” In 1998, Placek retired with a record of 493-176-12 over 25 years. She won five conference titles, 16 regionals, and nine sectionals. In 2002, Andy Puck took over as coach and, in 2008, returned Princeton to the state tournament. That 28-11-2 Class 2A fourth-place squad was led by 6-1 Leah Shaw, who in three years on the varsity helped Princeton go 90-27. She later played at Illinois Central College and Bowling Green State University.
#46
CENTRAL CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL | BLOOMINGTON
Regional Titles: 10
Sectional Titles: 5
State Final Trophies: 4
State Championship Appearances/Titles: 1/1
2015-2A: Central Catholic 2, Orion 0 (35-5)
State Final Coaches: Daniel Rolph (2003), Emily Kauten (2010), JR Banister (2015, 2016)
First Team All-State Players: 1997 – Jenny Kabbes; 2015 – Kate Hoerdemann; 2016 – Maddie Holt.
Central Catholic: The Bloomington Central Catholic volleyball program was born in 1979 and played a four-week, seven-match season. Early efforts produced records of 2-18 in 1981, 3-13 in 1982, and 5-12-2 in 1983. Fortunes improved in 1993 when Tony Gliwa became coach. By 1996, he had the Saints winning a school-record 13 matches. In 1997, the star of an 18-11-1 squad was 6-footer Jenny Kabbes, who averaged 5.5 kills per match before going on to play at Illinois State University. Central slumped to 9-16 in 1999 but bounced back in 2000 under first-year coach Daniel Rolph, whose arrival coincided with an infusion of club volleyball players. The roster of that 26-7 squad included Kabbes’ 6-2 sister, Emily, a junior who also later played at ISU. In 2001, Emily Kabbes averaged 3.6 kills and 1.4 blocks for a 28-6 squad that earned the first regional title in program history. The Saints’ 35-4 team of 2002 also upped the school record for wins and captured the first sectional crown in school history. Central made its state tournament debut in 2003, placing third in Class A at 35-5. Leading that squad was 5-7 leaper Megan Naborowski, who topped 300 kills that season and later played at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She had been a freshman Rolph’s first year. “He believed in us and we believed in ourselves that we could do this and make it here,” said Naborowski after beating Lanark Eastland in the third-place match. Rolph’s tenure ended after the 2004 season with his five-year record at 142-41. In 2006, Emily Kabbes became coach and five years later had a 30-10 Class 2A state third-place squad. That 2010 team looked nervous while losing to Breese Central in the semifinals, but turned things around for a 25-13, 25-20 win over Decatur St. Teresa in the third-place match. “Today we were much more calm, prepared, and ready to execute,” said Kabbes, whose married name became Kauten. Her 2010 roster featured three future Division I players in Caroline Holt (Loyola and Notre Dame), Meredith Boe (Saint Louis), and Danielle Davis (Illinois). In 2012, JR Banister became coach and four years later his Saints won the 2A title, finishing 35-5 after topping Orion (40-1) in the final, 25-20, 25-21. “When the girls go out there with the mentality that we can do it, this group is pretty much unstoppable,” Banister said. Those 2015 champions were led by Kate Hoerdemann, a 6-1 outside hitter who had 300 kills and later played at Memphis and Nicholls State. In 2016, Central was bumped up to Class 3A, but returnees such as Hoerdemann and Maddie Holt, who went on to play at Wake Forest, helped the Saints go 31-7 to place fourth in the state. Also on that team was Western Illinois-bound Erika Moore.
#45
NEWARK HIGH SCHOOL | NEWARK
Regional Titles: 15
Sectional Titles: 5
State Final Trophies: 3
State Championship Appearances/Titles: 2/2
2018-1A: Newark 2, Hartsburg-Emden 0 (40-2)
2019-1A: Newark 2, Illini Bluffs 0 (41-2)
State Final Coaches: Tonya Grayson (2017, 2018, 2019)
First Team All-State Players: 2018 – Madi Malone; 2019 – Madi Malone; 2021* – Madi Malone.
Newark: In the early years of the IHSA State Series, the Newark High School volleyball program sat mostly dormant. The program won its first regional in 1984, but the second wouldn’t come until nearly two decades later in 2002. Tonya Grayson, a 1990 Newark graduate, became coach in 2001 and began an era of consistent success for the Lady Norsemen, who won two state titles, 12 regionals, and five sectionals during her 20-year tenure. She posted a 555-169 overall record while going 163-8 in the Little Ten Conference. She was inducted into the Illinois Volleyball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2022. The 2017 season was a turning point as Newark made its first state tourney appearance with a roster that featured no senior starters and a budding freshman star in Madi Malone, a 6-foot outside hitter. That 34-5 season saw the Lady Norsemen finish fourth in Class 1A. Newark returned the next year to become the first girls team in school history to win a state championship in any sport. In the 1A final, the Lady Norsemen downed Hartsburg-Emden, 25-16, 25-23, as Malone provided 11 kills. “These girls went on and took this match like nobody’s business,” Grayson told the media. “Talk about stepping up on a big stage, in the biggest moment, calm, cool, and collected.” That 40-2 team, which lost just nine sets all season, went unbeaten against 1A opposition with help from setter Olivia Nelson, who had more than 900 assists. In 2019, the Lady Norsemen were even better, losing just eight sets while finishing 41-2, their only losses coming against 2A teams. In the 1A final against Glasford Illini Bluffs, Newark got 10 kills from Malone in a 25-19, 25-22 victory to become one of just 24 programs in state history to win more than one title. Malone’s setter that year was Taylor Christian, who finished with more than 900 assists. Malone’s bid to lead Newark to three straight Final Fours ended her senior season due to COVID-19. During the pandemic-shortened spring campaign of 2021, Malone averaged 6.6 kills per set on .516 hitting. She has continued to shine at Wisconsin-Milwaukee where she has been a two-time all-Horizon League first-team pick. While a player like Malone, who finished with 1,635 kills (11th in state history), is irreplaceable, the program continues to excel, having won three regionals and a sectional since her graduation, including two under Coach P.J. McKinney, who followed Grayson in 2022.
(*) – denotes pandemic-shortened spring season.
#44
EUREKA HIGH SCHOOL | EUREKA
Regional Titles: 12
Sectional Titles: 6
State Final Trophies: 3
State Championship Appearances/Titles: 1/1
2016-2A: Eureka 2, St. Joseph-Ogden 0 (35-4)
State Final Coach: Kris Hasty (1984, 1985, 1986), Tracy Heffren (2016)
First Team All-State Players: 2018 – Hailey Flowers.
Eureka: Of Eureka’s 12 regional titles, six came in the 1980s and four in the 2010s. Those two golden eras came during the reigns of two savvy coaches, one of whom – Tracy (Young) Heffren – played for the other – Kris Hasty. Heffren suited up for Hasty’s 34-2 Class A state fourth-place team in 1984 as well as her 34-7 third-place squad in 1985. In 2009, Heffren became coach and eight years later oversaw a 35-4 campaign that produced a Class 2A state title. That 2016 squad was led by 6-footer Lauren Rokey, who averaged 4.6 kills and 3.0 digs per game before going on to play at Morehead State University. Rokey set Eureka records for career kills (1,289) and digs (944) as the Hornets went 88-49 with her in the lineup. In the 2016 final in which the Hornets scored a 25-16, 26-24 win over St. Joseph-Ogden, Rokey had 10 kills while hitting .435. In the second set, Eureka trailed 24-20, but scored six straight points to win. “We set a goal at the beginning of the season to get down here and win,” Heffren told the media. “All of those goals have been achieved by this amazing group of girls.” Among the contributors was Heffren’s daughter, Courtney, who had six kills in the final, and 6-0 sophomore Hailey Flowers, who would go on to play at Radford and Missouri-St. Louis. As a senior in 2018, Flowers had 416 kills for a 34-4 Elite Eight squad. Tracy Heffren stepped down as coach after the 2018 season – having gone 217-120 over 10 years – to become coach at her alma mater, Illinois Central College. Hasty stepped down as Eureka’s coach after the 1988 season to coach at Elmhurst College. Her 1984 team lost the third-place match to Breese Mater Dei, 15-11, 7-15, 15-10, 15-10, during the lone season IHSA matches were best three-out-of-five-game affairs. “We accomplished our goal by making the final four,” Hasty said. “We just didn’t seem to click today, but the kids enjoyed themselves and that’s what it’s all about.” In the 1985 third-place match, Eureka topped Carthage Hancock Central, 17-15, 13-15, 15-7. “I think we were a little flat today,” noted Hasty, “but we won and that is something to say for the girls. We just weren’t as aggressive as we usually are.” Representing Eureka on the all-tournament team were 6-2 sophomore Tammy Siverly and one Tracy (Young) Heffren. Siverly went on to play for Illinois State University as did Heffren after her stint at ICC. The Hornets returned to the Elite Eight in 1986 with help from Siverly and 6-0 senior Peg Wettstein. “Balance has been the key for us,” Hasty said. “We look impressive in the middle with our two 6-foot-plus hitters, but they all have other, not so obvious, talent.”
#43
NAPERVILLE CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL | NAPERVILLE
Regional Titles: 15
District Titles: 4
Sectional Titles: 6
State Final Trophies: 3
State Championship Appearances/Titles: 3/2
1998-AA: Sandburg 2, Naperville Central 1 (41-1)
2005-AA: Naperville Central 2, Prairie Ridge 0 (39-4)
2007-4A: Naperville Central 2, McAuley 0 (38-4)
State Final Coaches: John Garrison (1991, 1998), Brie Isaacson (2005, 2007)
First Team All-State Players: 1993 – Jenna Wrobel; 1994 – Jenna Wrobel; 1997 – Elizabeth Gower; 1998 – Elizabeth Gower; 2001 – Cayley Thurlby; 2002 – Meg Eckert; 2004 – Tara Hester; 2005 – Tara Hester, Jessica Yanz; 2006 – Lindsey Mango*; 2008 – Emily McGee.
Naperville Central: Naperville Central has won district or regional titles in every decade from the 1970s to the 2010s, but the twin peaks of its volleyball glory came during the state championship campaigns of 2005 and 2007. Another season of note was 1998 when the John Garrison-coached Redhawks won their first 41 matches before dropping a three-setter to Sandburg in the Class AA final. Naperville Central’s leader that year was Colorado-recruit Elizabeth Gower, a 6-foot-1 setter/hitter who was the Chicago Sun-Times Player of the Year. Brie Isaacson, a 2022 Hall-of-Fame honoree, became coach in 2003 and two years later guided Naperville Central to a 39-4 record and the Class AA state crown. The stars of that 2005 team, which downed previously unbeaten Crystal Lake Prairie Ridge in the final, 25-18, 27-25, were 6-1 setter Jessica Yanz, 6-0 outside hitter Tara Hester, and 5-4 libero Lindsey Mango. “(That) was the best we ever played,” Yanz told the media. “The passes were all there, the digs were all up … and the hitters were all on.” Yanz was later named the 2005 Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year and went on to play two seasons at Penn State before transferring to Nebraska. Hester was named the Champaign News-Gazette Player of the Year in 2005 and later played at Virginia. In 2006, Mango, a Louisville recruit, became the first defensive player to be named the Chicago Sun-Times Player of the Year. Naperville Central’s 2007 Class 4A state title team was led by 5-11 Emily McGee, a North Carolina recruit, a 5-11 Rebecca Heath, who went on to play at American University. “It’s definitely a tough combination because when one goes to the back row, the next one comes up,” said Isaacson, whose setter was Elon-recruit Megan McMahon. That 2007 team lost twice to Downers Grove North and twice to Wheaton Warrenville South before capping a 23-match winning streak with a 25-23, 25-22 win over Chicago Mother McAuley in the title match. In 2002, North Carolina-recruit Meg Eckert had a school-record 463 kills to push her career total to 1,217. In 2001, 5-11 setter Cayley Thurlby, a Hawaii recruit, had 903 assists for a 34-4-1 team. She later played professionally in Spain and Argentina before playing pro beach volleyball.
(*) – denotes a Champaign News-Gazette second-team all-stater.
#42
ST. THOMAS MORE HIGH SCHOOL | CHAMPAIGN
Regional Titles: 12
Sectional Titles: 5
State Final Trophies: 3
State Championship Appearances/Titles: 2/2
2017-2A: St. Thomas More 2, Quincy Notre Dame 1 (39-3)
2021-1A: St. Thomas More 2, Augusta Southeastern 1 (41-1)
State Final Coaches: Stan Bergman (2017, 2018), Kelly McClure (2021)
First Team All-State Players: 2014 – Lexi Wallen; 2017 – Mica Allison; 2019 – Allie Trame; 2021* - Caroline Kerr; 2021 –Caroline Kerr.
(*) – denotes pandemic-shortened spring season
St. Thomas More: The High School of St. Thomas More opened in Champaign in 2000 with 73 students consisting of 21 sophomores and 52 freshmen. The Sabers entered a volleyball regional for the first time in 2002 and in 2008 won the first of five consecutive regionals. An era of excellence arrived in 2015 when Stan Bergman became coach. In 2017, he guided the Sabers to not only their first sectional crown, but their first state title. St. Thomas More, which had grown to 295 students by then, won the Class 2A final over Quincy Notre Dame in a three-set thriller featuring 17 ties and seven lead changes. The final point of an 18-25, 25-19, 25-22 victory came on a tip by Brianna Hopper. Then came jubilation. “Everything froze in my mind,” remembered setter Mica Allison, who had 12 kills, 12 assists, five digs, and two blocks. “It’s still frozen, how that play played out and how it happened. It was just a wonderful moment to share with (my teammates). You’ve just got those warm fuzzies and that feeling of accomplishment under your belt.” Allison was later named the 2017-18 Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year. Over her final three seasons, she notched 914 kills, 1,044 assists, 144 aces, and 520 digs. She went on to play one season at Auburn before transferring to Illinois and then playing beach volleyball at Florida Atlantic. In 2018, the Sabers returned to the 2A Final Four where they dropped a three-set heartbreaker to Pleasant Plains in the semifinals and wound up third at 37-5. Bergman wound up coaching at Mahomet-Seymour the next season and has since reached 723 career coaching victories entering the 2024 season to rank 27th in IHSA history. Kelly McClure assumed the St. Thomas More coaching reins in 2019 as 6-foot-2 Allie Trame provided 280 kills for a 35-3 regional championship team. Trame later played at Alabama and Illinois State University. McClure had the Sabers in the Class 1A Final Four by 2021, the year they went 37-5 and captured their second state crown. In the final against Augusta Southeastern, St. Thomas More came from behind to win in three sets as it had in the semifinals against Freeport Aquin. “This team was a joy to coach,” McClure said. “They love this sport and each other deeply.” Leading those 2021 Sabers was 5-11 senior setter Caroline Kerr, who now plays at Tennessee. She finished her prep career with 2,967 assists, the eighth most in state history. In 2014, 6-0 Lexi Wallen finished with a school-record 1,466 career kills before going on to play volleyball and basketball at ISU.