Thursday’s IHSA Class 4A Minooka Regional championship between No. 2. seed Minooka and No. 3 Bradley-Bourbonnais was close nearing the midway point of the opening set.

Then Minooka took over.

The Indians turned a three-point lead into a 13-point advantage by the end of the set before opening the second with another lengthy run. They rode that momentum to a 25-12, 25-9 win over the Boilermakers to claim their second regional title in the past three seasons.

Senior Kendall Kozak led the team with 11 kills while adding eight assists.

“It feels great to play on the home floor one last time with this team,” she said. “This team is just so amazing. Everyone stepped up today and went above and beyond to win and do their part.”

Minooka will begin play in the Class 4A O’Fallon Sectional on Tuesday against top-seeded Normal Community.

The Indians never trailed Thursday, and the last tie was 2-2 in the opening set. They were initially unable to pull away early, leading 12-9 before going on the first of a series of lengthy runs that gave them control of the match.

They closed out the opening set on a 13-3 run, holding on through a wild final point volley that was ended with a kill from Kozak.

The break between sets did not slow down their momentum.

Minooka scored 10 straight points to open the second set before the Boilermakers got on the board. The Indians then went on a 7-0 run to go up 17-1, dashing any hopes Bradley-Bourbonnais had to force a third set.

After a bit of a slow start, Minooka head coach Carrie Prosek said it was nice to see the team start its second set strong.

“They actually came out with confidence in the second game,” she said. “That’s something we’ve been working on, is coming out and not feeling comfortable, and feeling like we still have to fight to win the set.”

All 16 Minooka players got time on the court. Jerzie Caves was second on the team with seven kills while Giada Schrementi and Cameron Garcia racked up four apiece.

Senior setter Kennedy Walker dished out a team-high 16 assists while also leading the team with 11 digs.

She said that getting to play at home was an added bonus on Thursday, where the team was able to have the support of the student section one more time and then celebrate with their friends and classmates on their home floor after the final point.

“I like how our crowd was out here cheering, and it brings a lot of energy,” she said. “I feel like, the whole team, we all come together and have energy along with the student section.”

Minooka (26-11) has put together its winningest season since 2019. The program’s last sectional title also came in 2019, a season that capped a 10-year stretch in which the Indians won eight regional titles, three sectionals and made a pair of appearances at state.

After winning a regional title again in 2023, the Indians went 18-19 a season ago for just their second sub-.500 season in the last 17 years.

But they are now back in sectionals, and after falling in the semifinals in 2023, Kozak said they are aiming for a lengthier run this time.

“I’m really proud of everyone today,” she said. “I’m really excited for sectionals. We get a chance again to try to make it a different outcome than it was my sophomore year.”

For the Boilermakers (22-14), Thursday’s loss ended their hopes for their first regional title since 2003. They reached 20-plus wins this season for the third time in the past four years.

Bradley-Bourbonnais was on the younger side in 2025, and head coach Leigh Reiniche said that she is excited to see how these younger players grow heading into next season.

“We had a great season, as young as we’ve been, with six sophomores, three juniors and four seniors, and we’ve made so much progress from day one to now,” she said. “My hope is that [the returners] play multiple sports. Not just volleyball, but any other sport that BBCHS offers to get some other drills and skills from other coaches, but also come back in the summer ready to work.”