Boys volleyball: WW South rises to the occasion

Wheaton Warrenville South traditionally fields one of the strongest boys volleyball teams in the state and hosts perhaps Illinois' premier regular-season tournament. But winning that tournament has been problematic for the Tigers.

"We've finished second more often than not, to be honest," said WW South coach Bill Schreier. "We get to the championship game and all of a sudden we run into a buzzsaw … New Trier, Glenbrook North … going back and back and back."

This year's Tiger Classic had a different ending, however. When the dust settled, it was the home team hoisting the championship plaque.

All-tournament choice Zach Meyer had 14 kills and 2 aces, Plamen Pavlov added 8 kills, 4 aces and 2 blocks, Mark Harrison contributed 9 kills and junior setter and tournament MVP Alex Carr distributed 30 assists as WW South rallied to defeat Sandburg 20-25, 25-21, 25-22 Saturday in Wheaton.

"That was nice," said Meyer, a Lewis University recruit. "We got big swings. We got big plays. We had a lot of energy that entire match. I'm really proud of my boys. I owe everything to my setter (Carr). He convinced me to start working hard, and I saw an increase in my level of play."

WW South (9-2) picked up its level of play after dropping the first game Saturday, something the Tigers did not do last weekend in a 25-20, 25-9 loss to the Eagles at Vernon Hills.

"We really came to compete this time," Schreier said. "I thought there was a letdown at Vernon Hills. The semifinal today (a 28-26, 13-25, 25-19 victory over Lafayette, Mo.) really helped. It was a gut check. They took us to the woodshed in that second game. To bounce back and control that third set boded well."

Sandburg (9-1), which beat Brother Rice 25-23, 25-16 to reach the title game, got 12 kills and 2 aces from Colin Ensalaco and 11 kills from Jake Hanes.

"I think we played a quality match overall," said Sandburg coach Sean Airola. "Wheaton's a great team. All credit to them to come back when they did. They had the momentum when they needed the momentum. Their players played hard. I love playing them. It's a great rivalry."

After playing each other on consecutive weekends in back-to-back championship games, WW South and Sandburg won't see each other again during the regular season.

"I'm glad," a relieved Schreier said.

Lake Park finished the tournament 3-2, reaching the championship game of the Silver Division where the Lancers fell to Minooka, 25-22, 25-22. Jack Fischer led the Lancers with 9 kills and 2 aces, Nick Martinski added 6 kills and Justin Yost chipped in 17 assists and 6 digs.

"It was a long day," said Lake Park coach Tim Murphy. "We got a little tired. We weren't as mentally tough as we could've been in the match, but I saw a lot of positives. We have a young team and I saw us continue to improve throughout the tournament. We always played as a team. We can work with that and improve throughout the season."

Naperville Central finished 18th in the 24-team field, reaching the finals of the Bronze Division before falling to Lincoln-Way Central, 25-21, 25-18.