CALHOUN – History was made in multiple ways on Saturday at Illinois State University’s CEFCU Arena.
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The Calhoun Warriors capped off another stellar volleyball season with the program’s first state title. The Warriors defeated Stockton in two sets (25-17, 25-16), ending the season with a 39-2 mark.
That feat put Calhoun High School into the history books, becoming the first public school in Illinois to win a championship in girls volleyball, basketball, and softball.
The Lady Warriors won a basketball title in 2016 and softball championships in back-to-back years in 2015 and 2016.
Calhoun became the third school overall to do this, the other two being private - Quincy Notre Dame and Lombard Montini.
“It’s a great time to be a Warrior,” Calhoun head volleyball coach Melissa Zipprich said after Saturday’s win.
“Unbelievable. To be able to do this for the community, they’ve come together and supported us, it’s been great.”
The basketball title came during a three-year stretch in which Calhoun made the state tournament each time. In 2015 the Warriors finished second, winning it all in 2016, and finishing third in 2017.
That was all under head coach Aaron Baalman who ended an eight-year coaching stint with a record of 207-49.
Calhoun went back-to-back on the softball field in 2015 and 2016, nearly getting a three-peat in 2017 when the Warriors took second. That was under coach Matt Baalman who in five seasons had a record of 165-28.
The Warriors finished fourth at the softball state tournament in 2011 under Cindy Klocke and in 2019 with Duane Sievers. Calhoun has won 12 regional titles in the past 13 years dating back to the 2011 team that finished fourth under Klocke.
To date, those three girls programs at Calhoun have a combined 34 regional championships and 13 sectional titles.
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