Playing a Riverdale team that looks to be peaking for the postseason, Erie-Prophetstown struggled to get going in a 25-23, 25-19 loss in Thursday’s Class 2A Rock Falls Regional final.

The top-seeded Panthers finished 32-5 as the fifth-seeded Rams (23-10-1) advance to host the sectional at 6 p.m. on Tuesday against Eureka, which beat El Paso-Gridley.

The upset earned Riverdale its first regional title since 2021.

“They were relentless from start to finish,” E-P coach Rachel Bramm said of the Rams. “Both sets, [they] took advantage of some weaknesses that we showed tonight. Full props to them and best of luck moving forward.”

Both teams traded points in the opening set before the Rams began to pull away with a 12-6 lead. The Panthers rallied to tie it at 22-all, but the Rams always see

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