For many of the top players, there will be a next season. The starting lineup is very young.

For Mother McAuley senior Peyton Brokemond, it was make-or-break time for her chances to go to state.

How ironic that she was in the front row Friday night against Willowbrook, with Game 2 and a chance to win the match on the line.

“I was just excited, man,” Brokemond said. “I just had to do this. I said we could do it. I was just ready to win my last home match ever at McAuley.”

Brokemond made a statement in a big way as the host Mighty Macs beat Willowbrook 25-18, 25-21 to win the Class 4A Mother McAuley Supersectional.

Ellie White led McAuley (34-6) with 12 kills and seven digs, while Brokemond added six kills. Gigi Navarrete made 15 digs, Olivia Klapp had 10 and Sam Falk added eight. Caroline Macander contributed 22 assists and eight digs.

Calli Kenny had six kills and seven digs for Willowbrook (37-2). Her sister, Hannah, added five kills.

McAuley will play Edwardsville at 7 p.m. Friday in the state semifinals at Illinois State’s Redbird Arena in Normal.

The Mighty Macs were ahead 23-21 in Game 2 when Brokemond, a 5-foot-8 outside hitter, came up huge with a line shot for a kill.

On the next play, Brokemond went up for a block with 5-10 junior middle Maeve Moonan, who got her hands on the ball and sent it back over for the clincher.

“I helped set it up,” Brokemond said,

laughing. “But she did all the work.”

While White has been the main power source for the Mighty Macs, Brokemond has been critical to their success during her rotations in the front row.

She’s second on the team with 158 kills, a player McAuley coach Jen DeJarld calls a “silent force.”

“And she keeps getting better and better,” DeJarld said. “She doesn’t make many errors, stays poised under pressure and can handle details.

“Peyton is one of the most important cogs on the floor.”

Brokemond has proven time and again to be an incredibly smart hitter who knows how to find holes in the back row. And it doesn’t have to be a laser beam.

“The tips, the rolls ... yep,” Brokemond said. “I like doing those. I’m not that tall, so I have to work with what I can.”

It’s an ability that sometimes even has White — a court magician in her own right — shaking her head.

“Peyton is amazing on and off the court,” White said. “We can trust her at any point in the game to put the ball down. She definitely has things 100% covered.

“That last kill, she definitely deserved it. We knew we could trust her. Just amazing.”

It also was a special night for Navarrete. The Northwestern recruit led the Mighty Macs’ several-pronged defense and also contributed at the service line. Her ace down the left line late in Game 1 was a stunner.

“I love playing with her,” Falk said. “She inspires me, and we feed off each other’s energy. We go for every ball, every play as a team.”

After the match, Navarrete was surprised to receive the game ball, with 1,000 career digs inscribed on it.

What a night to reach a milestone.

“I don’t really keep track of that stuff,” Navarrete said. “I just play to play. I wasn’t expecting to get that ball. It means super, super much to me, and it’s super, super special. McAuley is such a great school.”

McAuley, who will be making its 27th trip to state, will bring home a trophy for the 24th time. The Mighty Macs’ last trip was in 2016, and resulted in their 15th state title — and a national championship.

For six seniors, this is their chance to live out the next chapter.

“I’m super excited,” Brokemond said. “This is the best senior year to have. Last season, we weren’t blessed enough to have playoffs, so I’m happy this is my senior year. I’m just excited to go.”