Sycamore coach Jennifer Charles knew she had a talented team this season.

It was such a talented group that she decided to keep more players on the roster than she normally does.

The Spartans proved she was right to have confidence in them, as they won 20 matches and won the program’s third regional title in Charles’ 11-year tenure.

“I’m so proud of them,” Charles said. “I took 18 girls. That’s probably the most I’ve ever taken in my entire career in volleyball, because I knew these 18 girls were something special. They played together. They love each other and play for each other.

“I felt this season was a testament to my nine seniors. They kept this team together from start to finish. Their positivity, their grit, their drive and their motivation is everything I could ask for our seniors to give.”

Sycamore’s run ended Tuesday with a 25-12, 25-13 loss to Washington in a Class 3A La Salle-Peru Sectional semifinal.

“I thought we played well,” Charles said. “Washington is a very good team. They’re very physical. We knew that coming in. But I felt we did our best to stay with them. We did our best to slow down their big guns.”

But the Panthers’ big guns proved too much for the Spartans.

Junior University of Iowa commit Carly Dawson put down nine kills, senior Haley Ashley and sophomore Josie O’Brien had six kills each, and junior Jenna Aeschliman added five kills.

“We just really hope that each person is ready to swing,” Washington coach Paloma Simundle said. “That’s kind of our motto is that everybody needs to work as hard as they can and be prepared to be set at any time.”

The first set was tight early, with neither team taking more than a three-point lead before the Panthers went on an 8-1 run that included three kills by Dawson to take a 16-7 lead.

Washington went up double digits at 20-10 on a Sycamore error and closed the set when O’Brien put down a kill on a freeball.

“Coming into a new gym, you always hope that you feel comfortable playing here,” Simundle said. “I think we had a lot of energy. It was awesome that we had fans tonight. I thought we settled in well and did a nice job.”

The Spartans scored the first four points of the second set on a kill by Ava Wente-Argo, a net violation on Washington, an error by the Panthers and an ace by Lana Walker.

“We just needed to know that we just had to keep pushing,” Charles said. “We had to take advantage of when certain hitters were in the front or back row. I thought we came out high.

“Unfortunately, I thought our serve-receive kind of dwindled a little bit and we let them back in, but overall, I felt like both teams played well.”

After Sycamore’s initial surge, the Panthers rallied to tie it at 5 and took the lead for good at 9-8 when the Spartans were whistled for four hits.

Aeschliman rattled off 10 points in a row to push the Washington lead to 18-8. Ashley ended the match with a kill.

The Panthers (22-14) will face host La Salle-Peru (32-5) in the title match at 6 p.m. Thursday.

“They’re a talented team,” Simundle said about L-P. “They have two good outsides. They did a nice job. We expect a battle, but in our conference, we’ve been battling a lot, so we’re excited for the opportunity.”

Charles hopes the sectional appearance will be a learning experience for Sycamore (20-16).

“I’ll have the majority of my starters back next year who have been playing with me since they were sophomores,” Charles said. “They’ve now had two seasons to feel it out. I feel next year, if they take what the seniors have left them, it will be a really good year.”

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Sycamore's Sophia Lichthardt reacts after loosing to Washington during the Class 3A Sectional semifinal game on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025 in Sellett Gymnasium at L-P High School. (Scott Anderson)