No excuses needed for Bison

Buffalo Grove had every excuse to have an excuse.

The Bison had to be tired after outlasting Mundelein on Tuesday night in a long, exhausting 3-game battle.

And they came into Wednesday's regional championship match facing a tough, experienced Barrington team that tied for the Mid-Suburban West title this year.

But instead of giving in the Bison, despite falling behind in both games, stepped up and delivered in a 25-20, 25-23 victory over the Broncos.

"This is the way we thrive," said BG coach Matt Aiello of his squad's come from behind win. "We've got a target on our back, and we're proud of that. We get every team's best effort every night. Mundelein played amazing yesterday, and Barrington came out and played a strong, clean match tonight."

The Bison, who play Stevenson in Friday's 7:30 p.m. Highland Park sectional semifinal, were led on attack by Chris Falknor (11 kills). The win overshadowed a tremendous performance by Barrington outside hitter Randy Lorenz.

Lorenz almost willed the Broncos to victory, slamming a match-high 15 kills - 11 in Game 2.

"Randy's been outstanding all season," said Barrington coach Rob Ridenour. "He's had over 350 kills on the year and he's had to shoulder a lot of our offensive load.

"I think we had the lead in about two-thirds of both games, but you have to give a lot of credit to Buffalo Grove, especially Falknor, (Nick) Baronti and (Chris) Shanahan. They were ripping the ball - they showed a lot of guts in pressure situations."

BG (27-5) trailed for most of Game 1 but a block by setter Dan Wichmann (18 assists) gave it the lead for good.

Blocking was the key again in Game 2 as junior right side/middle Baronti had two to lift the Bison to a 23-23 tie.

"Coach (Aiello) told us they like to hit across," said Baronti "so we knew we had to come in (on their attack.)"

With the game and the season on the line, senior Falknor stepped the forefront. The outside hitter first landed a perfectly placed tip just inside the line on the Broncos side, then hammered a kill for the win.

"The first game was kind of slow-paced for me," said Falknor. "In the second game I was able to pick it up and help lead our team to victory."

Barrington (21-13) senior setter Christian LaBar dished out 26 assists, while senior libero Max Deevy shook off a variety of injuries to record 13 digs.

"Max has been playing hurt all season," said Ridenour. "Most of the time he's had to spend about an hour in the training room prior to a game. He's played with a lot of heart."

BG defense specialist Joe Duda had 14 digs, while sophomore Shanahan pitched in with 5 kills for a team that took care of business despite possibly feeling a little fatigued.

"It woke us up," said BG junior Mike Jambrone. "We realize now that every team from here on out is going to be a great team."

Fremd d. Schaumburg: For the second consecutive year, Fremd is a regional champion in boys volleyball.

The No. 2 Vikings defeated No. 7 Schaumburg 25-17, 25-16 on Wednesday night at Streamwood.

"Most of our starters this year are new (compared to last year) so it feels great," Fremd setter Mike Smearman said. "This (winning the regional) has been what we've been focusing on all year, but now we've just got to focus on the next round."

Fremd (30-6) will play in Friday's 7:30 p.m. Elgin sectional semifinal against Lake Park. Smearman turned in a great performance against the Saxons, converting 54-of-55 set attempts for 25 assists.

"As the season has gone on, I think we have really improved a lot," Fremd coach Curt Pinley said. "Since about the mid-point of the season Smearman has helped take over the team. He does a great job of moving the ball around.

"We kept Schaumburg on their toes, I don't think they knew who we were going to all the time."

Fremd had a very balanced attack with Brian Allen (9 kills), Cal Nolan (8 kills) and Trevor Clark (7 kills) all the recipients of Smearman sets.

"I'm confident wherever I throw it the guys can smack it down for the kill," Smearman said. "It's good to know that the passes are going to be there and no matter where I set it I'll have a good hitter swinging."

Fremd's service receive of James Isaacs and Jason and Justin Sohn were a big part of the victory, according to Pinley, and Smearman paid them a compliment as well.

"I give credit to our serve receive because their good passes allowed me to do whatever I wanted with the ball," Smearman said.

Jason Wojcik had 5 kills and Kyle Schroeder had 9 digs for Schaumburg.

"We just didn't play well, and against a good team you have to play well," Reid said. "It's hard to go out on a note like this, but we continued to fight the whole night and didn't give up. I'm proud of all the seniors."

Jason Wojcik had 5 kills and Kyle Schroeder had 9 digs for Schaumburg.

Prospect d. Evanston: No. 5 Prospect (22-12) won its third regional title and first since 2005 with a 25-21, 25-18 win over the No. 4 seeded hosts.

Mike Gemkow had 8 kills and 6 digs, Kevin Reed had 7 kills and 6 digs and James Hoffman had 6 kills and 3 blocks. Sean Baltowski had 14 digs and setter Kevin Wolter had 22 assists and 3 blocks.

Prospect will play in Friday's 6:30 p.m. Maine South sectional semifinal against the hosts.

Glenbrook North d. Hersey: Paul Kolesar had 5 kills for No. 8 Hersey in a 25-21, 21-17 loss to No. 1 Glenbrook North at Waukegan.

Glenbard North d. Conant: Peter Lauterbach and Dan Dewar had 7 kills for No. 8 Conant (24-12) in a 25-21, 25-21 loss to No. 1 Glenbard North at South Elgin.

Lake Park d. Elk Grove: Garrett Greaves and Szymon Gierut had 7 kills for No. 6 Elk Grove (18-15) in the 25-20, 31-29 loss to the hosts at Lake Park.