Move worth the wait for Richardson, Neuqua
Connor Richardson has waited a long time to get his varsity volleyball playing days started.
But on Wednesday, in only his second varsity match, the Neuqua Valley senior led the host Wildcats to a 20-25, 25-19, 25-21 win over Naperville North, which finished second in state last year.
“Connor was great both offensively and defensively tonight,” said Neuqua Valley coach Erich Mendoza. “He's so fast and athletic. He and Joe Michael, our other middle, make us unique because they're both so athletic. They proved tonight that our opponents can't key on one or two outside hitters because a kill can come from anyone.”
Richardson attended Neuqua Valley as a freshman, then transferred to Waubonsie Valley due to the district realignment. He played JV ball his sophomore year.
After coming back to Neuqua as a junior, the 6-foot-4 Richardson, had to sit out a year, a requirement because he transferred within District 204.
In Wednesday's match Richardson and right-side hitter Jake Gerald each had a team-high 9 kills and Richardson had 5 blocks. The Wildcats (2-0) also got 6 kills and 4 blocks from Michael.
“It was our first game and we came out a little flat,” Mendoza said. “And we didn't pass very well. North is a great team and you want to play against them, but the fact that they were second at state was on our minds.”
He thought his troops did a good job of settling down and executing in the second and third sets and praised setter Ryan Cahill for the way he worked the middles, which also set up opportunities for the Wildcats other hitters on the outside.
“We want to make a run for state,” Richardson said. “And we come out with a lot of energy.”
“We're a scrappy team and we can get most balls up,” Gerald said. “In the second and third games our passing got better.”
The Huskies' Spenceer Sauter had a match-high 15 kills and Matt Jennings added 6 kills and 3 blocks. Setter Gert Lisha, a transfer from Oswego East, had 32 assists and shared the team lead for digs with Kyle Losik, each with 8.
Naperville North coach Nate Bornancin saw flashes of greatness in his team but added that they were few and far between.
“It was our first match of the year and we played like it was our first match of the year,” Bornancin said. “We have five new starters and the communications things will be taken care of. We started connecting with our middles later in the match.”
Bornancin was encouraged that the Huskies caught up and held the lead for a while after starting off the third set down 10-4.
“It was just a matter of not being able to finish and that comes with experience,” he said. “We have to get our guys used to what these close matches are like.”
The Huskies coach had high praise for the Wildcats.
“They play with a lot of fire and emotion and they're going to have a good season,” he said. “They have a great attitude and they go after everything. They were a perfect opening-night opponent for us because they showed us where we are as a team and what we need to work on.”