Boys volleyball: Maine West comes up big against Vernon Hills
The Maine West boys volleyball team got what coach Mike OBrill called "our biggest win of the season" on Tuesday night in Des Plaines.
The Warriors had to rally against visiting Vernon Hills in both games, especially in a wild and wooly, back-and-forth set 2.
West fought off 3 game points in the second set to score a 25-21, 29-27 Central Suburban North senior night victory over the Cougars.
"It was all about the seniors tonight," said OBrill. "What it came down to was competition and the competitors on the court.
"I looked in the eyes of my players and I saw they were in the moment. You look at Milos Dugalic, who got the match winning point, and you could see how much he wanted it."
Dugalic was one of the senior honorees, as was classmate Faraz Bashir, a libero.
"We've really been battling after a tough season last year," said Bashir, who will attend Iowa in the fall, on a pre-med track with a major in biology.
"We were really clicking today," added Bashir, "and coming on senior night, that's a great feeling."
Vernon Hills was a tough-luck loser despite the strong effort of Derrick Jones.
Jones was 18-of-23 on attack with 7 kills, and had some clutch points late to keep the Cougars close.
"We've worked really hard to change the culture and the mindset lately," said Vernon Hills coach Chris Curry, who admired the tenacity of his team against West on the road. "Our kids just keep fighting no matter what the score and that's great to see."
The Maine West (19-12, 4-3) comeback started in the first game, after the Warriors called time out while trailing 19-17.
West promptly ran off 8 of the next 10 points to take a 1-set lead as Liam Skinner put down the final kill in the middle.
The teams slugged their way to 24-all in set 2, when a Jones kill put the Cougars ahead 25-24.
Vernon Hills thought it had tied the match after a hit from West's Jack Collins flew just long, but the officials ruled the ball had been tipped by the Cougars and the game was once again knotted up.
Maine West fought its way to 28-27 on a Dugalic kill, then a Collins set, and a hit by Dugalic put the contest in the win column for the home team.
Jack McDonald finished with 7 kills for Vernon Hills while Ryan Pristas recorded 7 digs.
West players Mike Bilotich, Shivam Patel, Skinner (match-high 8 kills, 6 blocks) and Collins were the other seniors who celebrated the conference win Tuesday.
"For these guys to get an exciting win like this against a quality opponent like Vernon Hills," said OBrill, "is just the right way to go on senior night."
Simon Grimm had 10 assists for the Warriors.
"We've grown so much this season," said Bashir. "It used to be when we lost the momentum we just let it go. We came out on senior night tonight in a game where we knew we had to get it done, and we kept the energy going - it was huge."