VH, Conant tune it up

Nonconference volleyball matches near the end of the regular season are supposed to prepare teams for the playoffs.

And that's exactly what transpired when Conant visited Vernon Hills on Friday.

Conant shook off a disappointing second game en route to a 25-23, 13-25, 25-19 victory.

"This was a great team we defeated tonight," Conant coach Peggy Scholten said. "We played some high-level volleyball."

Ken Ropiak, Conant's 6-foot-6 senior middle blocker, had a lot to do with that. He came through whenever his team needed a big point and finished with a match-high 14 kills and 3 aces.

"He was a beast," senior Dan Aloisio said. "It was amazing to watch."

Vernon Hills coach Chris Curry said he is glad Ropiak is a senior.

"He's very hard to defend because he recognizes the block and can go either direction," Curry said. "If you don't commit two blockers to him, he can do a lot of damage."

In the first game, Conant (18-7) overcame deficits of 13-10 and 16-14. Vernon Hills tied the score at 21-21, but Conant eventually put the game away on a kill by Aloisio.

The second game was all Vernon Hills. Vernon Hills (15-11) turned an early 8-7 lead into a 21-11 advantage.

"We weren't expecting them to be that good," Ropiak said.

Although Vernon Hills gave away size in the middle, the Cougars' blocking was key in the second game. Senior Herman Lynn finished with a team-high 4 blocks.

"We're used to being the shorter team," Lynn said. "We adjusted in the second game and picked up our blocking."

Conant used steadier play, highlighted by great defense, to control play in the third game.

"Our defense was what won the match for us," Scholten said.

By contrast, Vernon Hills looked tentative in the decisive game.

"We were rolling and we lost our aggressive at a (bad) time," Curry said.

Lynn and senior Dave Siegel each had 8 kills. Senior Dan Smith added 5 kills.

"(Smith) had a real nice hitting game," Curry said.

Senior Jeff Achler contributed 23 digs, and junior Alex Tartakovsky had 3 aces.

Conant junior Peter Lauterbach had 7 kills. Lauterbach and junior Drew Fisher had 13 and 12 digs, respectively.

Scholten praised the play of senior middle Johnny Pontarelli.

"He's kind of our secret weapon," she said. "He does everything right."

Vernon Hills senior setter Alex Brodsky, who was injured in the first week of the season, made his return to the court.

"All things considered, it was a better return than I expected," Curry said. "He made better choices as the match went along."