Boys volleyball: Hinsdale Central defeats Willowbrook

During Wednesday night's 25-21, 19-25, 25-23 West Suburban Conference crossover win over Willowbrook, Richie Lozanoski and the Hinsdale Central boys volleyball team nearly experienced déjà vu.

In the first set the Red Devils took set point, 24-14 on a Warriors service error.

Then things started falling apart for Hinsdale Central. Willowbrook scored seven straight points, before sealing up the set.

"Late in the first set, I think we just got cocky," Lozanoski said. "We thought we had the game in the bag. We were trying new stuff. It didn't really work out. We had to go back to the basics to finish out the game."

In the third set Danny Pineiro connected with Zachary Chibucos for a kill to give Hinsdale Central (20-9, 3-2) a 23-18 lead.

That forced Willowbrook (12-15, 2-3) into a timeout. After the timeout Willowbrook found its mojo.

The Warriors scored 5 straight points and tied the set at 23.

"We think we have the motivation and the momentum," Willowbrook's Tim Keefe said.

Then Hinsdale Central took a timeout of it's own. In that timeout the Red Devils stressed the importance of the next point.

"We always call those points after the timeout 'Coach's points' because it just messes with their server," setter Bryce Bernard said.

Hinsdale Central got the "coach's point" on - fittingly - a service error.

"It freezes our flow," Keefe said of the timeout.

And it gave Hinsdale Central a pep in its step.

"That point was huge," Bernard said.

On match point Bernard knew exactly who he needed to pass the ball to.

"Richie was playing awesome the entire game," Bernard said of Lozanoski, who finished with 10 kills and 2 blocks. "I thought, 'OK, he's our hot hitter, we just got to push it to him.' We ended up doing it and getting the win."

After their 7-0 salvo late in the first set, Willowbrook carried the momentum into the second set.

The Warriors scored the first 3 points of the set. The teams exchanged the lead twice before Willowbrook went on a 8-1 run to take a 17-11 lead in the set and never looked back. Willowbrook setter Nick Cookingham, Jake Entwistle and Keefe spearheaded the run.

"I think (the first-set run) really helped," Cookingham said. "We had intensity and we were very loud. That's what will win you a volleyball game."

Hinsdale Central hung on in the third set, but it was a stressful win for coach Stephanie Kaegebein.

"I would say it makes my gray hairs grow," Kaegebin said. "I thought we were going to be able to take it in two, but (Willowbrook) showed up, they did a good job."

It just wasn't good enough to pull out the win for Willowbrook.

In that sense it was déjà vu for the Warriors.

"It's happened to us quite a bit this year," Willowbrook coach Ryan Bazon said. "If you look at our scores, set three is that way. We're right there, kids fight hard, that's all I ask for."