EVERGREEN PARK, IL—A season of growth and transition seems to be in store for the Evergreen Park Community High School varsity girls volleyball team. Already two games into the 2026 regular season, Head Coach Brian Zofkie is beyond excited to see the continued development of a young core.
"It's going to be a year of growth," Zofkie said. "A lot of young kids are going to see quite a bit of playing time."
That's evident by the makeup of the Lady Mustangs' roster. Five of the Lady Mustangs' 14 varsity players are freshmen and sophomores. Only four players remain from the 2025 Lady Mustangs team that won the IHSA 3A Regional Championship for the second year in a row.
Still, the team has strong leadership and experience at the top. Returning seniors Ella Throndson and Shannon Farrell have been named the team captains. They'll be tasked with leading the way both on and off the court for what Zofkie himself has described as a "bridging the gap" year.
"Ella is a four-year starter, and Shannon is a three-year starter," Zofkie said. "They'll bridge the gap from one era to the next, from one strong group to the next strong group."
It will no doubt be a challenge for the Lady Mustangs to follow up on a 2025 season that was led by a stellar core of seniors who have now graduated.
Neve Hayes, who now plays NCAA Division III volleyball at Augustana College is "a program legend," Zofkie said. Key senior players from last season like Fiona Buchanan, Bridget Hayes, Annie Olson, Janelle Oyoque and Tess Lee have also moved on, opening the door for the next crop of stars.
"Neve is one of the best volleyball players in Evergreen Park history," he said. "But her younger sister, Brenna, is starting to step into her shoes a bit as a setter. We're hoping for a seamless transition."
Hayes is already off to a strong start to the 2026 season, totaling 27 assists in the team's first two games.
Lady Mustang fans will also recognize Madison Majka, now a sophomore who moves from the defensive specialist role she had as a freshman to become the team's libero. Majka has totaled 14 digs in the first two games of the season.
The remainder of the roster may be new to varsity play at EPCHS, but many of them have already shown they have what it takes to become winners and champions.
Called up from the 2025 South Suburban Red Conference champion junior varsity team are Jessley Segundo, Layne Schillo, Molly Goyke, Dylan Lawrence, Shelby Izzo, Melanie Webster and Tori Clark. Schillo, Goyke and Lawrence come to the varsity level following two consecutive years of having been part of a JV conference championship team.
"We have some good athletes coming up," Zofkie said. "They are really going to help us from an energy perspective and from a depth perspective. We are going to be a quicker, more athletic team this year."
Senior transfer Mary Deenihan will help provide leadership and experience.
"Mary will have a huge impact as an experienced middle hitter," Zofkie said.
Rounding out the varsity roster will be a pair of freshmen, Maeve Nolan and Penelope Tracy, who Zofkie expects to begin contributing immediately.
"We're excited for the youth we are bringing in," Zofkie said. "These two are both Most Holy Redeemer (Middle School) kids. I thought we did a good job of recruiting and we're excited to see what they bring."
Nolan started her first game as a Mustang and Tracy is the younger sister of Maggie Tracy, who starred for the Lady Mustangs volleyball team before graduating in 2023.
The Lady Mustangs will begin their South Suburban Conference slate with a home match against T.F. South beginning at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 1. They'll then host the Evergreen Park Volleyball Invitational for the second year in a row, with matches occurring on Wednesday, Sept. 2 and Saturday, Sept. 5 at both the large and small gyms on campus and the EPCHS Sports Complex.
"We'll be bringing in some of the best 2A and 3A schools in the state," Zofkie said. "A lot of these teams will be coming in from pretty far away."
~ Contributed by Tim Moran, EPCHS Feature Writer
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