Energized Deevy, Barrington get past Conant

Barrington libero Max Deevy is a high-octane player.

Thursday night against visiting Conant, the senior helped drag the Broncos off the mat in a dramatic comeback victory.

The Cougars led 18-10 in Game 1 before Barrington rallied with 6 service aces, then pulled away in game 2 to score a 26-24, 25-18 boys volleyball win and remain perfect at 5-0 in the Mid-Suburban West.

"We all knew we had to step it up," said Deevy, who had 2 aces and 12 digs in the win. "It was all in our head. We had to get it together mentally and get it done."

"Max keeps the energy level high," added Barrington coach Rob Ridenour. "He did a great job and so did the rest of the guys, keeping the pressure on and making up points in spurts of 2 or 3.

"They were upset with they way they were playing, so it was nice to see them pull out of the hole they were in. They were able to limit their errors in the second half of Game 1 and Game 2."

Senior Dan Dewar led the Cougars attack with 7 kills, and setter Drew Fisher contributed with 18 assists as Conant played stellar volleyball early but couldn't sustain the effort.

"Barrington is a tough team," said first-year Conant coach Steve Peter, "and they got off to a slow start. We were able to hang with them for a while, but we started slipping."

"We'll learn from this, build on it and grow as a team. We'll face Barrington again later in the year and we'll put on a better show."

Conant stormed ahead early but aces from Deevy (2), setter Christian La Bar (2), Nick Leiding and Randy Lorenz brought the Broncos even at 24-24.

"We've been focusing on service in practice," said Deevy, "and my hat's off to Coach Rob for teaching us how to find the weak sports (in the opponent's defense.) Tonight, we were able to hit those spots."

With Game 1 on the line, Crystal Lake Central transfer Joe Davidson (match-high 11 kills) spiked a winner, then a Conant ball that seemed headed for the corner of the court was called out to put Barrington one game up.

"We're an energetic team," said Davidson, a junior, "and Max and Nick (Leiding) are the guys who lead us in energy. We were able to get it done, and that all comes from working hard."

The momentum was all with Barrington in Game 2, led by the attack of Eric Clement (6 kills) and Lorenz (6 kills).

Two consecutive kills by Barrington sophomore Kyle Darch and a Conant (11-7, 3-2) error closed out the match.

"We knew we had this in us." said Deevy of the Broncos' unblemished conference record, "We've gotten off to a hot start but then again, it's not how you start, it's how you finish."