Boys volleyball: Slow start sinks improving Maine West against Deerfield

Boys volleyball

A poor start doomed the Maine West boys volleyball team Thursday night in Des Plaines.

The Warriors fell way behind early in the first set in a 25-9, 25-19 Central Suburban North loss to Deerfield, but the defeat doesn't diminish what Maine West has accomplished so far this season.

West has already eclipsed its win total from last year, both overall (they're 11-5) and in the division, where they are now 1-2.

"We're off to a good start, but I keep reminding my guys that we can't climb a mountain overnight," said Warriors coach Mike OBrill. "We're just trying to break some bad habits from the past, and we've got a group of competitors out there who want to keep growing and learning.

"We've still got a long way to go, and consistency is our nemesis right now."

Dylan Macariola produced a team-high 6 kills for West while Danny Rice had 3 blocks.

"We've been playing like a team this year," said setter Simon Grimm. "We get loud, and even the guys on the bench get rowdy and excited. That kind of enthusiasm helps our passing, our setting, everything.

"We also have an extremely tall front row and they're very intimidating. When they go up to block it's pretty insane."

The first game was forgettable for Maine West as Deerfield opened up 15-5 lead early on enroute to the 1-set advantage, paced by superior play from the service line.

"We're really working on tougher serving and more communication," said Deerfield coach Eugene Chung.

The second set was much better for Maine West. Deerfield again got off to a lead, but a run midway through the game - fueled by an ace from Grimm and a big block kill in the middle from teammate Rice - brought the home team to within 1 point.

Deerfield quickly extended the advantage, but the Warriors made another run late as Macariola and Max Romza hit kills.

But West couldn't overcome the hitting and the service of Deerfield, which finished with 6 aces.

"They (Maine West) are a good team," added Chung. "We knew that first set really wasn't what they're all about. They're a much better team than we saw in the first game, that's why we had to keep most of our lineup together in the second set. We knew that they were going to get their points but we have a lot of confidence in our ball control and ability to terminate."

"We just had an off set," said Grimm of game 1. "We were talking between games and what OB (coach OBrill) said was that we just had to get over it. We needed to focus on what we were doing (on the court) and buy into the team concept. When we did that gears starting turning and things started working."

Macariola leads the Warriors on attack for the season with 55 kills, with 6-foot-6 senior middle Liam Skinner right behind at 54. Skinner has also been an outstanding force at the net with 87 blocks.

"Tonight we didn't pass as well as we would have liked to," said Skinner. "Passing runs the offense and we just couldn't do it tonight."

"All around, though, we've been passing really well this year. Our setting has improved a lot we've gained some hitters from the junior class that came up."

Faraz Bashir is tops for the Warriors this year in digs with 137, while Nick Stasch leads the team in assists with 159.

"I think that we woke up a little bit in that second set," said OBrill. "We limited our errors and came out and played well, especially at the net. The first set we might have come out with a little bit of nerves, and then the mental game took over."