Naperville North upsets Downers Grove South
The Naperville North boys volleyball team believed it could get to this point in the postseason.
All it wanted was a chance.
And that point is one victory away from the state finals. The Huskies, a sixth seed in the IMSA sectional, swept second-seeded Downers Grove South 25-21, 25-18 in Friday night’s second semifinal match in Aurora.
Naperville North (27-11) takes on top seed Wheaton Warrenville South (36-2) in an all-DuPage Valley Conference sectional final Tuesday at 7 p.m. The Tigers, who have beat the Huskies three times this season, downed Glenbard East 25-13, 25-21 to start off Friday evening.
“I’ve known our potential and we’re finally playing up to our potential. None of us want the season to end,” said Naperville North senior Shane Witmer, who led the Huskies with 14 kills. “It was frustrating this season. We had a lot of injuries early on.”
Game 1 was tied at 13 when the Mustangs (32-6) sent a serve out of bounds. Witmer followed with a kill to make it a two-point advantage, and then Downers Grove South’s Kevin O’Halloran came up with a kill to make it 15-14.
The Huskies, however, were able to keep a slim lead for the rest of the game until one of Spencer Sauter’s 10 kills clinched the win.
Naperville North coach Nate Bornancin praised his team’s communication on the floor.
“I think any coaching took place earlier today or yesterday. I really liked the way the guys talked to each other on the floor,” he said.
It was a close battle in Game 2, but a late 8-2 scoring run guaranteed the Huskies’ trip to the sectional final.
Senior Henry Cheatham put forth 5 kills to help the Huskies.
David Manganiello led the Mustangs with 9 kills. Mike Zinnecker have 5.
In the second match at IMSA, WW South defeated DuPage Valley Conference rival Glenbard East.
The Tigers, who finished second in state last season and have six state championships since 2001, got control of Game 1 and never let loose.
Eric Luhrsen, who had 9 kills and 2 aces, got one of those kills to make it 12-9 WW South and to return the ball to the Tigers. He then took over serving and the team went on a 6-0 run including his two aces, two more kills by him and a kill from Thomas Jaeschke.
“There were some communication errors and our passing could be a little better. But we’re definitely peaking and improving every match,” Luhrsen said.
The Rams (29-9) stayed close to the Tigers throughout Game 2 until WW South closed out the game and the match with a 5-1 run.
Also having a big night for the Tigers was Michal Stefanski with 10 kills and 2 aces.
Matt Plotke and Tim Shenkin each paced the Rams’ attack with 4 kills.
“We needed to serve well and we did. Glenbard East is a scrappy team and you know what you get with them,” Tigers coach Bill Schreier said.
Glenbard East coach Marci Maier praised her team for staying with WW South except for the crucial scoring spurts.
“We were off to a great start on offense and defense. They went on a run. We kept our composure coming back in the second game. We have nothing to be ashamed of. We gave it our best,” she said.