Hersey meets tall order at Vernon Hills

It was really a battle of tall.

From visiting Hersey came 6-foot-7, Princeton University-bound Mike Fuerst.

Matching him on the other side was 6-5 Vernon Hills blocker Lem Turner.

And naturally this non-conference clash went to three sets.

The first set was clearly the most entertaining, as Hersey improved to 7-1 with a 25-23, 16-25, 25-17 win at Vernon Hills on Friday night.

The inside word from this match is most of the players knew each other from playing for the Adversity volleyball club team. So there was no animosity on either side of the court.

Back to that exciting back-and-forth first set. Behind the big hits of Turner (9 kills, 6 blocks), the Cougars (1-2) opened up a quick 7-3 lead. It didn't last. Fuerst registered a block kill and it was knotted up at 13-13.

"In that first set we had a good start,'' Turner said. "We just let it go at the end."

Turner registered a blistering block to again tie the game up, this time at 23-23. Kevin Messer ended the set with a kill for Hersey.

Set two was not close. Vernon Hills led start to finish.

"In that second set, we made a lot of errors,'' Fuerst said.

Max Spiglanin had back-to-back aces to bring the VH lead to 14-7 in that second set. Dylan Deboer closed set two with another ace.

As one-sided as set two was, the decisive third set had Hersey in control.

"Our passing broke down,'' said Vernon Hills coach Chris Curry. "We really needed to pass the ball to Lem."

Hersey had great balance all night long. Seven Huskies had at least 2 kills. Another tall Huskie, Bart Migus - all 6-5 of him - led the team with 9 kills. Fuerst had 6 kills and 2 blocks. Matt Torvic added 5 kills. Sophomore Angelo Coniglio also chipped in 5 kills.

This Hersey squad lost only only senior who started last year, so expectations are high. Co-captain Fuerst is excited about his final high school team.

"We have a lot of potential,'' he said.

Hersey coach Nancy Lill noted last year's squad upset Glenbrook North in the postseason.

"We were young and inconsistent last year,'' Lill said. "Our guys are ready this year."

The Cougars have had plenty of success in the past and are learning to play without the services of star setter Ryan Opitz. Instead, Vernon Hills has handed the setting duties to Cory Levin and Jared Bennet.

"They have done an excellent job considering the situation,'' Curry said. "We are trying to keep it simple."

Opitz's return has not been determined as of yet.

Veteran Michael Heinz also had 9 kills on the night. Spiglanin added 5 kills. Bennett paced the Cougars with 19 assists.

Hersey also ran a 6-2 offense as Torvic had 15 assists and Peter Wesolowski had 13 assists. Hersey libero, Fotis Christacos led the defense with 22 digs.