VH's belated gift works in Curry's favor

Vernon Hills volleyball coach Chris Curry had a dud of a birthday Saturday.

He spent most of the day watching the Cougars struggle to a 1-4 mark at the Glenbrook North Invitational.

He told the boys they could more than make up for it by winning at Warren in Tuesday's battle for first place in the North Suburban Conference.

And no one had a broader smile than Curry when the boys sang a belated happy birthday minutes after defeating Warren 25-21, 12-25, 25-19.

Vernon Hills (15-10) improved to 7-0 in the conference and claimed sole possession of first place with two league matches left to play. The Blue Devils, who had defeated Vernon Hills in a tournament earlier this season, dropped to 28-4, 6-1.

"We promised him a late birthday present and we gave it to him tonight," senior Herman Lynn said.

Lynn came through with the kill on match point.

His first thought once the ball touched down on Warren's side?

"I just wanted to run around on the court and scream," he said.

Down the stretch of the third game, the Cougars rode a tremendous individual performance by junior Ernie Choi. The junior opposite came up with 5 kills in his last 7 swings. He finished with a match-high 11 kills.

In addition, his key block gave Warren a 24-18 advantage.

"I wanted the ball," Choi said. "I was able to keep my form and I went down the line (a lot)."

Added Curry: "He has all kinds of talent and he keeps getting better."

This was the second consecutive tough loss for the Blue Devils. Warren dropped a three-game decision to Carmel on Monday.

"The better team won tonight," Warren coach Yun Chen said. "Teams are finding ways to beat us, but we know what we need to focus on for the (upcoming) state playoffs."

For Warren, seniors Mike McGowan and Ryan Schuette each had 8 kills. McGowan and senior Mike McNally contributed 4 blocks apiece. Senior Jeff Halvorsen contributed 23 assists, and senior Tyler Schwede added 10 digs.

Vernon Hills controlled play in the first game. The Cougars played outstanding defense and took advantage of 14 errors by Warren.

The second game could not have been more different. Warren quickly turned a 9-8 advantage into a 21-11 margin. Chen said the Blue Devils limited themselves to 4 errors.

"We never make it easy," Curry said. "The difference between Warren's best and us (playing) mediocre is pretty big."

Vernon Hills hurt itself in the third game by missing four serves, three of which came in close proximity.

The rest of the Cougars' play was flawless.

Junior Keegan Harris and Lynn had 8 and 7 kills, respectively. They each added 2 blocks. Junior setter Sam Lee was 80 of 81 with 27 assists. Senior libero Jeff Achler came through with 20 digs.

"We lacked that fire and energy in the second game," Achler said. "We came out of our funk and got back to playing Vernon Hills volleyball."