HAMPSHIRE – Todd Weimer readily admits this year’s Kaneland volleyball team isn’t as talented as last year’s.

The 2011 Knights featured two Daily Chronicle All-Area first-team players who went on to play in college, but that team couldn’t win a playoff match.

After labeling 2012 as a possible rebuilding year, Weimer saw his team mesh in a way that his teams haven’t in the past. On Thursday, the Knights became the first Kaneland team to win a regional title since 1991, defeating Sycamore, 25-19, 25-23, in the Class 3A Hampshire Regional championship.