Richmond-Burton volleyball team advances to state tournament

Richmond-Burton volleyball players gathered in Mendota on Monday for the Class 2A Mendota Supersectional, aiming to secure a trip to the state tournament. The Rockets, ranked No. 1 in their seed, faced Westmont in a match that determined which team would advance to the next round of postseason play. The contest ended in a decisive victory for the home team, sealing their advancement after a strong performance throughout both sets.

The final score was 25-13 in the first set and 25-12 in the second, marking a sweep for Richmond-Burton. This win gave the Rockets their 38th victory of the season, setting a new school record for total wins. The team had previously dropped only two matches this year, both against Class 4A schools Huntley and Burlington Central during tournament finals. Westmont finished the season with a record of 30 wins and 5 losses.

Senior Reagan Wisniewski played a pivotal role in the final moments of the game despite being injured earlier in the year. Wisniewski tore her ACL in April and sat on the bench for most of the season. Her coach, Eric Schulze, decided to put her in the match to serve. Wisniewski served two aces in the first set and then served the final three points of the game. Senior Josie Franckowiak recorded the final block to clinch the match for the Rockets.

Coach Eric Schulze is in his first year at Richmond-Burton. He noted that the team's poise and work ethic have been consistent throughout the season. The Rockets have not dropped a set in any of their postseason matches this year. Their previous state appearance was in 2012, when they played in Class 3A. The 2012 team finished with 37 victories, a record the current squad surpassed.

Dani Hopp, a senior outside hitter, contributed 14 kills in the match, bringing her season total to 488. Hopp is committed to play NCAA Division-I volleyball at Coastal Carolina. Libero Lanee Cooley recorded two aces and five digs. Franckowiak provided 21 assists, while junior outside hitter Mia Furlan had six kills. Freshman Blakely Sterbenz served three aces in the opening set. As a team, Richmond-Burton recorded 10 aces during the game.

Westmont coach Jason Gentile described his team's season as one of the best in school history. The Sentinels earned back-to-back regional titles and won their first sectional title since 2009. Ten seniors are graduating from the Westmont program, including outside hitter Kotryna Vanagas and right-side hitter Layla Bunch. Vanagas led Westmont with seven kills on Monday and broke the school's single-season kills record with over 380. Bunch added six kills to the total.

Vanagas noted that her freshman team went 7-25, and she felt proud of the growth the current roster has shown. Gentile said the senior class displayed outstanding effort and a desire to improve. Richmond-Burton will face No. 1 Tri-Valley in a state semifinal at 1:30 p.m. Friday at Illinois State’s CEFCU Arena in Normal. Tri-Valley defeated Manteno 25-15 and 25-19 on Monday to earn their spot in the semifinals.