Boys volleyball: Hersey hangs on against Wheeling

Hersey's boys volleyball team beat Wheeling twice during the regular season. But the two teams' postseason showdown figured to be a tough, and that was the case at Warren.

Hersey held off Wheeling, 25-23, 29-27 Tuesday night to advance to Wednesday's 6 p.m. regional final against Warren.

"We knew this would be a battle," Hersey coach Nancy Lill said. "Give Wheeling a ton of credit."

Hersey, the Mid-Suburban East's champion, did not breeze in either set. On a kill from 6-foot-5 middle blocker Matt Hopkins, the Huskies looked in control in set one. Hersey led 23-18, and then Wheeling libero Matt Schiferl went into serve.

Schiferl notched a couple of aces to pull the Wildcats within 23-22.

Again, Hersey stormed out in set two. A block from Patrick O'Brien and a few Wheeling errors, and the Huskies were quickly up 5-0. That lead didn't last.

On a kill from Wheeling's Jared Moser, the set was knotted at 16-16. Two more key kills from Moser and the set was tied at 27-27.

Another tall Hersey player is 6-6 outside hitter Jake Mailloux. He led a balanced offense with 7 kills. Both Joe Nugent and Camran Saeed each had six. O'Brien added 4 kills and 3 blocks.