Boys volleyball: Stevenson teams up in victory against Warren
A nagging sore back has forced star hitter Grant Maleski to miss some matches here and there this season for the Stevenson boys volleyball team.
It's not an ideal situation for the Patriots. Maleski is one of the best players in the area, and has a spot on the team at powerhouse UCLA waiting for him next year as proof.
But if there is a bright side to the occasional absence of Maleski from the lineup, it's that other players for Stevenson have had to become the Grant Maleski of the team.
Junior hitter Leo Chen has been one of those players this season. He's become a focal point of the offense when Maleski is sidelined … so much so that he's turning into a focal point even when Maleski is not sidelined.
Chen and a healthier Maleski teamed up on Tuesday to push Stevenson to a come-from-behind victory at Warren. The Patriots rebounded from a first-set loss to get a 23-25, 25-18, 25-21 win.
Both Chen and Maleski finished with a team-high 13 kills apiece. Stevenson improves to 22-11 overall and 4-2 in the North Suburban Conference.
"It's important for the team for everyone in the front row to get swings. We can't just rely on one person," Chen said. "Other kids have had to step up. I think personally I've grown, but I have to give credit to a lot of our players. Our setters have gotten better and so has everyone. And when a team comes together like that, it shows through individuals."
Chen's numbers have climbed as the season has progressed and his comfort level as a go-to player has grown.
"It's been really helpful that Leo has come along like he has. I'm not sure at the beginning of the year he would have been ready for that. But he is now," Stevenson coach Eric Goolish said. "He also had some knee issues early and I think his knees are feeling better now so that has been a factor. But I also think he is understanding the game more.
"This was just a huge match for Leo. Just super."
Chen had 5 kills in the final set alone, a back-and-forth affair in which both teams seemed mentally and physically fatigued. Warren and Stevenson combined for 16 missed serves in just that set, and 28 misses altogether on the match.
Warren (15-13, 3-3 NSC) missed 5 serves over its final 5 points.
"We missed a lot of serves," Warren coach Yun Chen said. "The wheels kind of came off. We were behind in that first set and came back to win it but I think we used a lot of energy to make that comeback. Then, we kind of went down from there and weren't able to rebuild that momentum and get it back. Stevenson is a good team and they kept the pressure on us."
Stevenson was led on defense by Danny Orlov, who had 10 digs. Setter Haddon Kay had 26 assists.
For Warren, Kyle Wells had 13 kills while Mihajlo Gomez added 9 kills.
"We felt good after we came back in that first set," Gomez said. "But then we acted like we were going to win it easily. We made some simple mistakes and errors and missed a lot of serves."