Kate Walsh was some kind of wonderful for Sandburg.

The 5-foot-10 senior all-purpose hitter was tipping and rolling and pounding the ball down from both sides of the net the whole match. She emerged as the star player.

Afterward, she was crying. Quite noticeably, actually.

“I don’t know,” Walsh said, wiping away the tears. “I feel it’s just like, this was our last time playing in this gym and we played so strong. The other team was so strong.

“They came back and we came back. It was just a great match. And it’s hard knowing this is the last time playing in this gym.”

Walsh left a lasting impression Thursday night as the host Eagles beat Homewood-Flossmoor 25-17, 21-25, 25-15 to win a Class 4A regional title.

While Walsh stood out with 18 kills for Sandburg (24-13), Madi Mulhausen added eight kills and Chloe McGregor-Paterson contributed six. Maya Rihani had 19 assists, Keira Fitzgerald chimed in with 15 assists and eight digs, and Reilly Chausse made 20 digs.

LaDonna Trantham led H-F (25-8) with 11 kills and 20 digs. Kymora Scott had eight kills and five blocks, while Skylar Skinner notched 26 assists and Camille Brooms and Frances Smith each tallied 13 digs.

Sandburg will play against host Mother McAuley (32-5) at 6 p.m. Monday in a sectional semifinal match.

This is Walsh’s farewell season in volleyball. She’ll be concentrating on a psychology degree in college.

She brought it all to the gym against H-F, putting down three straight kills during a 5-0 run to start the first game. She did the same in the third game, firing up for four kills as the Eagles raced to a 9-2 lead.

“I was ready to play,” Walsh said. “The whole week I was looking forward to this, playing on this court again. My team always knows exactly what to do. We all work together so well.”

Walsh’s career has been like that of a downhill skier. The speed has seemed to increase at every pole.

As a junior, she was a backup outside hitter until backup middle Molly Fox suffered an injury. Without a third middle to work with, Sandburg coach David Vales put Walsh in the second spot behind Elise Sterling.

Voilà, Walsh finished with 50 kills.

“She was very serviceable as a backup and helped get us to the sectional championship,” Vales said. “But she was kind of out of place there. So, she went to club and played outside and learned how to be a leader.

“When she got back on the floor for us, I didn’t know if I wanted her in the middle again or maybe the outside or the right side because she was taller. She was kind of a jack of all trades, master of none. But I knew there was something there.”

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At the midpoint of this season, Walsh had 55 kills and 40 errors. During a Sept. 26 match against Stagg, she flipped a switch, putting down five kills on six swings.

Including the Stagg match, Walsh has had 115 kills in the last 18 matches. She’s become the second-leading hitter on the team.

She’s also a favorite setting target of Fitzgerald and Rihani.

“I got a glimpse of it last season,” Fitzgerald said. “She had to step up in that middle spot and really performed. I knew that her stepping up this season would happen for her and she would exponentially grow.

“When she’s on, she’s not only adding energy to our court, but she is reassuring us of all the shots she has in her repertoire. She can hit, she can tip, she can throw the defense off. She can do anything.”

It has been a whirlwind finish.

“Volleyball has been a part of my life since fourth grade,” Walsh said. “I’ve always dreamed of playing on a great team like we have.”