Will Cook County News

By Claude Martinez.

Hinsdale – “We are a family and they needed to all buy into that understanding that we are doing this together,” said Carl Sandburg head coach Madisen Babich after her team clinched the Hinsdale Central Sectional Championship with a 2-0 victory over Oak Park-River Forest on June 3, 2025.

“We’re running out of time with the talent. This was the group to do something and put Sandburg Volleyball, specifically boys, back on the map.”

The opening set was a tightly contested battle, with both teams exchanging points in a back-and-forth rhythm. Eventually, Sandburg found its stride, pulling ahead to a 17-12 lead and maintaining the advantage to close out the set, 25-22.

In the second set, Oak Park-River Forest showed resilience and built a late three-point lead. But the Eagles dug in, battling back to tie the score at 24-24. The Huskies briefly pulled ahead, only for Sandburg to rally once again. In a dramatic finish, the Eagles edged out a 28-26 win to complete the sweep.

FINAL: Carl Sandburg 2, Oak Park-River Forest 0
Set 1: 25-22 | Set 2: 28-26

“I was a student teacher there [at Sandburg] in my undergrad and then I was [Dave] Vales’ varsity assistant… for both girls and boys for three years,” said Babich, now in her first year as head coach. “So I kind of understood and took in that culture, like what the expectation is. When I went in for the job I pulled up all of last year’s film and brought that into my interview.”

Last season, Sandburg fell to Oak Park-River Forest in the sectional semifinals. That memory fueled the Eagles’ determination.

“We’re done messing up when we are in tight games. There is too much talent, especially in this senior and junior group, that is going to waste,” Babich said of her decision to apply for the boys’ head coach position. “Why are we not winning when we need to win? So just changing the mindset and making sure these guys believe in themselves.”

Throughout the season, senior outside hitter and three-year varsity player Jeremiah Aro has been the team’s anchor, helping lead Sandburg to a 36-4 record.

In the final WCCN Volleyball Skilled Seven stat leaders list, posted on May 26, — a roundup of top performers from the South Suburban, Southwest Prairie, Southwest Suburban, and Chicagoland Christian conferences — Aro tied for third in regular season kills with 298.

“I just keep trusting in my guys,” said Jeremiah Aro after winning the sectional championship. “Everything that we do as a team, it’s not [about] ‘me’, it’s [about] everybody as a collective. My teammates are the reason why we are here.”

Aro also highlighted some of his teammates’ efforts: “For example, J.T. [Snider] — it’s his birthday. He could have been out celebrating, but he is out here with us. He probably played the best on the team tonight too. Him, Will Ashum, Aaron Dennie… There are so many guys that I can name.”

In the second set, with the Eagles trailing, Babich called a timeout and delivered the spark the team needed. “Coach just told us what she always tells us — that this is our team and we have to trust in each other and play for each other,” Aro shared. “We just keep that mentality going and that’s why we won the game.”

Despite the win, the Eagles are staying focused.

“We know that the job is not finished,” Aro said. “We still have three more games if we want to be champions. Even though we are excited today, tomorrow we are going to be back in the gym.”

Babich also spoke about the next steps as the team prepares for the state quarterfinals.

“I have to highlight my assistant, Dennis McNamara. He watches 8–10 hours of film,” said Babich. “He breaks everything down and I could not do this without him. [He makes sure] we have a plan to attack. So we’re going to sit and watch film and debrief. Then we are going to watch the other opponents’ rotations and go from there — just like we prepared for here.”

Carl Sandburg will now face O’Fallon in the state quarterfinals on Friday, June 6, at Hoffman Estates High School.

Following the game, the Eagles were presented with the Sectional Championship plaque, which can be seen on WCCN’s social media pages.

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