Northwest/Scouting the MSL boys volleyball championship
By Bill Esbrook
Daily Herald Correspondent
Barrington (26-6) at Buffalo Grove (28-5)
When: 7 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Buffalo Grove High School
Players to watch: Buffalo Grove — Hitters Chris Shanahan (393 kills), Jon Ward (206), Jamie Schnittker (201); setter Luke Karch (954 assists), defensive specialist Cameron Castle (407 digs).
Barrington — Outside hitter Matt Logue (282 kills, 47 aces), middle Tommy Leonard (189 kills, 75 blocks); setter Taylor Ganzer (701 assists); libero Austin Czarnecki (407 digs).
Outlook: The Bison and Broncos both competed in the first tournament of the season, BG’s Bison Battle, but didn’t face each other. Now they’ll have the opportunity, and can it get much more competitive than this? Both teams swept through their respective conference schedules with 10-0 records — and for the Bison it was their fourth consecutive perfect MSL season. Each squad has exceeded the benchmark 25 overall season victories.
The match will feature possibly the top two hitters in the MSL (Shanahan and Logue), and two of the best defensive players in Castle and Czarnecki, coincidentally who both broke the 400 barrier on digs with 407 each. And with each team seemingly having no weakness to exploit in its opponent, expect a tense, tightly-contested match that goes three games.
“We’ve played a very tough schedule with the goal in mind of being at our best once the postseason begins,” said BG coach Matt Aiello, whose team is appearing in its fourth straight championship match and has won two of the last three. “Any time we step on the floor, we expect to win. This match is an opportunity for my guys to play before a larger than usual crowd and with a different start time than usual, which are both great preps for the postseason.”
Senior right side Shanahan is a defensive force, with 260 digs and 116 blocks on his 2011 resume. Junior teammate Sam Wacker comes in with 122 blocks and 122 kills, while another Bison middle — Michael Starzec — swatted 91 season kills.
The Broncos boast a well-rounded attack with Jeff Hochtein (141) and TJ Shanahan (132) making big contributions in the kills department. Leonard led Barrington in blocking with 75 and Charlie Kingwell added 205 digs.
“We’re excited to play for the championship,” said Barrington coach Rob Ridenour, who was named the school’s girls volleyball coach last week. “It’s a testament to the hard work of our seniors, Logue, Shanahan, Ben Koziol and Kyle Darch, that we’re in this position. I’m proud of our guys. They’ve pushed the effort in our gym to a higher level and it’s a great reward for them as a group.”