Scouting the Mid-Suburban League boys volleyball championship
Buffalo Grove (24-5) at Fremd (21-11)
When: 7 p.m. today
Where: Fremd High School, Palatine
How they got there: BG stampeded through the MSL East with a perfect record for the third consecutive season and is 30-0 in division play since 2007, with its only MSL loss to Fremd in last year's league title match. This is the third consecutive year that the Bison have faced the Vikings for the crown. BG defeated Fremd in Palatine in 2008 before falling on its home court last season.
Fremd had to sweat it out until the last possible moment this season, tying Palatine for the West title and advancing to the championship match on a series of tiebreakers. Fremd's only losses in league play were to the Pirates and Schaumburg in its first conference match of the season. The Vikings rebounded from their emotional loss to Palatine in Week 9 by defeating Conant in the final MSL West match to move to the title game on the strength of a better overall game win percentage.
BG players to watch: Seniors Nick Baronti (right-side, 312 kills, 79 blocks), Mike Jambrone (outside hitter, 210 kills, 24 aces), Alex Kob (libero); juniors Lukas Karch (setter, 961 assists), Chris Shanahan (outside hitter, 239 kills, 190 digs), Jamie Schnittker (middle); sophomore Sam Wacker (middle).
Fremd players to watch: Seniors Brian Allen (middle, 250-plus kills, .390 hitting efficiency), Jeff Chappell (outside hitter, 27 aces), Eric Ciura (outside hitter), Steve Maring (setter, 555 assists), Justin Sohn (libero); junior Peter Ninchich (outside hitter), Kolbe Stenoien (defensive specialist).
Bison outlook: Hopes were sky high for another stellar season in 2010 and BG returning hitters Shanahan, Jambrone and the 6-9 Baronti didn't disappoint, leading the Bison, possibly the state's top offensive team, to another spotless MSL campaign. "This is one of those years that we had very high expectations, and people in the area had high expectations for us - so the guys had to come into the season with a very mature attitude," said coach Matt Aiello. Three of the 5 Bison losses came at an early in the season at a tourney at Brother Rice and Aiello has been impressed with the way his team responded. "Sometimes we would go through portions of our seasons when we weren't really challenged," said Aiello, "so I added the Brother Rice tournament to our schedule. I've really liked the way we've played since then, and we've kept in our sights the goals we've had since the season started." The number one Bison goal is winning the state championship, but first on the agenda will be competing for another MSL title and players like defensive specialist Kob, setter Lukas Karch, and 6-foot-6 middle Wacker should make BG tough to beat.
Fremd outlook: The Vikings only returned two starters from last year's MSL championship team but still put it all together in 2010 to claim at least a share of the title for the fourth straight year. Maring, at 6-6 the league's tallest setter, has presented a formidable challenge for opposing teams all season and the hitting tandem of Chappell and Ciura has the strength to put even a top defensive squad on its heels. "At the beginning of the season we were very inexperienced," said Fremd coach Curt Pinley. "We had an outside hitter, a middle and a setter who had not played for us a season ago. We're proud of the dedication and commitment this team has shown throughout the year." Allen has been a brick wall in the middle all year for a squad that may be peaking at the right time. "Our success has come from hard work and the guys' belief that they would improve if they put in the work they needed to achieve their goals," Pinley said.
Aiello on the Vikings: "Curt (Pinley) always has his teams well prepared. I've watched them several times and they can really play defense - they excel at all aspects of the game. I expect them to come out and play hard as usual."
Pinley on the Bison: "Buffalo Grove is an exceptional program. Matt always has his teams dialed in at this point of the season. They're aggressive and confident, and we have to match their intensity on the floor."