Boys volleyball preview
Mid-Suburban League championship
Fremd (27-6) at Buffalo Grove (25-4)
When: 7:30 p.m. today
It'll be deja vu all over again for Fremd and Buffalo Grove in this year's title match. The two perennialy successful programs met in last season's championship, with BG prevailing 25-21, 25-19.
It wouldn't be the last time the Bison and Vikings faced off in 2008. They met again nine days later in the sectional, and BG won again in two games.
This year, it seems as though the teams have been on a collision course toward a rematch - but they've taken different paths to get there.
Buffalo Grove clinched the MSL East in the eighth division match of the season en route to its second straight perfect division record.
Fremd had to win its final MSL West game of the year, over Hoffman Estates, to be assured of a title-match appearance. The Vikings and Barrington finished with 9-1 division marks, but Fremd advanced on a tiebreaker.
To say that both teams are pumped to play for the championship is putting it mildly.
Fremd at a glance: The Vikings fell only to Barrington (in three games) in MSL West play, but avenged that defeat late in the season with a three-game victory. They have a wide variety of options on attack, as junior middle Brian Allen (220), senior outside hitter Cal Nolan (190), senior OH/M Trevor Clark (137) and junior outside hitter Jeff Chappell (130) all have more than 100 kills. Senior Ian Sykes has established himself as a force from the service line with 23 aces, senior Michael Smearman (688 assists) is one of the league's top setters, while senior defensive specialist James Isaacs (207 digs, 329 of 340 on serve receive) doesn't let many balls hit the floor. Justin Sohn (81 digs) and Jason Sohn (169-of-183 serve receive) have excelled on defense as well for a team that has exceeded all expectations. "These guys have been working hard all season," said Fremd coach Curt Pinley. "All of the accolades that are starting to come in for them are a result of their hard work and dedication."
Buffalo Grove at a glance: Make it 21 straight in the MSL for the Bison, including last year's championship match. Senior setter Dan Wichmann (845 assists), senior outside hitter Chris Falknor (240 kills despite missing six matches because of injury), and junior right-side hitter Nick Baronti (262 kills, 69 blocks) have made big contributions as the Bison were perfect in the East for the second consecutive year. The Bison were state runners-up in 2008 and hope to use another MSL title match win as a springboard to another successful postseason run. Sophomore Chris Shanahan has had an explosive inaugural varsity season with 222 kills and 161 digs. Junior MIke Jambrone swatted 117 kills and served 22 aces, while BG's unsung heroes may be senior libero Joe Duda, a vocal leader who dug 381 balls, and senior middle Jason Dubs, who stepped in and excelled after Nick Mau went down with an injury. "We're excited to playing in the MSL championship again," said BG coach Matt Aiello. "This is always our regular-season goal, and we look at this match as a great tuneup for the postseason. It gives us an opportunity to play in a pressure situation with a large crowd."
What they're saying
"We played Buffalo Grove in the championship last season, and once again Matt (Aiello) has done a fantastic job of moving that program forward. We're looking forward to the competition, and hopefully we can even up the series at one game apiece." - Fremd coach Curt Pinley.
"Fremd is a solid all-around team. They've got quite a bit of size in the front row and a number of offensive weapons. Coach Pinley's teams always play with a lot of energy and don't make a lot of mental errors. They do not give up free/easy points." - BG coach Matt Aiello
- Compiled by Bill Esbrook