Lockport’s Bridget Ferriter and her two siblings have interesting college interests.
Tommy, her older brother, is majoring in biochemistry. Eileen, her older sister, is majoring in biopsychology and data science. Bridget’s interests lie in both math and science.
She would like to do research and lab work.
“My mom (Rita) is a teacher, and when we were younger, she pushed us to do school stuff outside of school like reading,” Bridget said of her siblings. “All three of us are on the quieter side.
“I feel like quieter people are math people. And the louder people are English people. All three of us gravitate to the sciences and numbers.”
The numbers continue to add up on the volleyball court for Ferriter.
Lockport’s Bridget Ferriter (17) makes a play at the net against Bolingbrook during a nonconference match in Lockport on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025. (Steve Johnston / Daily Southtown)
The senior outside hitter produced a loud 16 kills to go with seven digs and five aces Wednesday night for the host Porters in a 25-18, 18-25, 25-5 nonconference victory over Bolingbrook.
Sara McGraw added five kills for Lockport (18-3), followed by Natalie Bochantin with 17 assists, Emma Consigny with 10 digs and Olivia Priest with three blocks. Mally Green had three aces in the third game.
Noelle Aprati led Bolingbrook (16-7) with eight kills, including six in the second game.
Ferriter, however, didn’t need to use math or science to explain the third game. It’s unusual for a team to win by 20 points. It’s even more unusual after the teams split the first two games.
Lockport’s Emma Consigny (5) returns a serve against Bolingbrook during a nonconference match in Lockport on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025. (Steve Johnston / Daily Southtown)
According to Ferriter, it was just a matter of making less mistakes.
“The switch between the second and third set was our serving,” she said. “I don’t know how many serves we missed in the second, but it was a lot more than we should have.
“We tried to start off strong with our serves and kept pushing from there.”
The 6-foot Ferriter tallied three kills and an ace to put Lockport ahead 8-1 in the first game and then had three kills and two aces to help the Porters grab a 12-1 lead in the deciding game.
Lockport’s Hutsyn Timosciek (14) and Olivia Priest (6) go up for a block against Bolingbrook during a nonconference match in Lockport on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025. (Steve Johnston / Daily Southtown)
Last season as a junior, she came on strong and finished with 253 kills, 184 digs and 22 aces as the Porters took third in the state in Class 4A. Her 14-kill performance in a 25-8, 20-25, 25-23 sectional semifinal win over Lincoln-Way West was huge in helping her team advance.
This year, she’s up to 184 kills with a .322 hitting percentage,109 digs and 21 aces.
“She has improved 100%,” Lockport coach Nick Mraz said of Ferriter. “She really started coming into form toward the middle of last season. This year she is, in my opinion, at a whole other level.
“Her decision-making and her shot selection make her tough to stop.”
Mraz also admires Ferriter’s ability to dominate, even though opponents are focusing on her.
“Teams know she is one of our featured, go-to hitters,” he said. “When the scouting reports are geared to stop you and film has been out there for 21 matches, for her to keep finding success is a credit to how she has grown her game.”
Lockport’s Bridget Ferriter (17) powers the ball past a Bolingbrook blocker during a nonconference match in Lockport on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025. (Steve Johnston / Daily Southtown)
Along with Priest, McGraw has been asked to pick up some of the slack for injured junior Kyla Mitchell in the middle. McGraw enjoys watching Ferriter go to work.
“She brings energy and she is a leader on the court,” McGraw said of Ferriter. “She is always telling us what’s open and is always being a supportive teammate.
“She is always someone to count on.”
Ferriter’s future in volleyball is still up in the air. She’s looking for a college with high academic standards and has her eyes on some NCAA Division III schools on the East Coast.
“I’m prioritizing the academic part,” she said. “If that’s not right, I’m fine not playing volleyball if I can get a good education.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
