Boys volleyball: Seniority serves Libertyville in tight win over LZ
Well, if Libertyville is the best team in Lake County, Wednesday night proved there is a second team right behind the Wildcats in the pecking order.
It's that club with that fearsome southpaw, Alex Krasowski, and his tough sidekick, Jeff Gorey. And that impressive setter, Jeff Carmody.
And now there is a sophomore to watch out for. He's 6-foot-5 Bartosz Wielgos.
In Lake Zurich's tight battle with Libertyville, Wielgos led all hitters with 16 kills.
It was senior night at Libertyville, and the Wildcats (31-2) needed all those key seniors. In a match worthy of any sectional final, the Cats prevailed 31-29, 19-25, 26-24.
Yes, it's true that most of these players know each other from club volleyball season.
"Lake Zurich has a really good team,'' said Libertyville outside hitter, Jack Stevens. "They are really scrappy on defense. And we know all about that lefty (Krasowski) on the right side."
In that epic and lengthy first set, there were five ties early. Libertyville had some breathing room after a thundering kill from Brendan Cook (12 kills). However, on a Wielgos kill, this set was knotted up at 22-22.
"Lake Zurich has some really good hitters,'' Cook said.
Cook managed back-to-back kills in this seemingly endless set. Krasowski's kill knotted it up at 28-28.
"We knew this was a playoff atmosphere,'' said Lake Zurich coach Lesly Ravenscraft. "Especially after that 31-29 game. We always seem to play Libertyville tough. We are really familiar with each other."
Libertyville's momentum from the first set disappeared rather quickly in the second set. With some tough serves from Gorey, the Bears (21-7) jumped to a quick 4-1 advantage. Gorey (9 kills, 4 digs), added a kill and the Lake Zurich lead was 11-7. Lake Zurich's lead hit 21-16 after a few miscues by the home team.
It was another battle in set three. Lake Zurich had a slim 6-5 lead on another Wielgos kill.
"Bartosz gives us great hitting and smart hitting, too,'' Ravenscraft said. "He also gives us a good block. He's also a great server."
Wielgos was quick to credit his Adversity Club. He compares his Lake Zurich team to that club team as well.
"When we play together, we are like a family,'' Wielgos noted.
In the decisive third set, the home team trailed for most the way.
Libertyville finally caught the Bears with setter Ryan Hirschel (38 assists) on the serving line. He got help from another Cook kill. Hirschel notched an ace and on a Lake Zurich error the set was knotted at 18-18.
"We brought out our best energy in that third set,'' Cook added.
Libertyville coach, Jenny Smith complimented the visitors.
"Lake Zurich is known for their servers,'' Smith said. "But I thought we were able to pass well tonight. But it's great to play this kind of match during the regular season."
Libertyville finally took a step with a kill from Hirschel and a block from Shane Feiereisel (8 kills). That lead was slim, though, at 23-22.
"We had a lot of fans here tonight,'' Stevens said. "We've been practicing really hard."
Lake Zurich setter Jeff Carmody registered 42 assists. Lake Zurich seemed to want to keep the ball away from Libertyville's stellar libero, Sam Kharasch. He had 13 digs.