Waubonsie Valley feeling golden
It’s been a while since Waubonsie Valley has made it to the Gold Division to play for the championship of the Tiger Classic at Wheaton Warrenville South.
But on Thursday the Warriors displayed plenty of athleticism, court sense and team chemistry to beat Marist in a close two-setter and then they went by Wheaton North 25-17, 25-13 to qualify for the eight-team Gold Division play Saturday.
Others who qualified for the top group by winning both their Thursday matches are Wheaton Warrenville South, Lake Park and Sandburg.
“This year we’re really stretching the opponents’ defense,” said Michael Simmons, who led the Warriors (9-1) with 17 kills against Wheaton North. “Our defense and our serve-receive are really sharp and we’re able to get 1-on-1 blockers and put the ball away easily. All of us know what to do to get the job done.”
Simmons, who shared the setter duties with Luke Furman last year, played outside hitter in club in the off-season, and he grew 3 inches so coach Al Lagger moved him to outside hitter and switched to a 5-1 offense.
“Michael brings a setter’s sensibilities and leadership to the hitter position,” Lagger said. “Having him and Luke on the floor at the same time is like having two coaches out there. Combine that with the strong blocking we’re getting from our middles and everybody’s commitment to hard work and you have a recipe for success.”
While the Warriors had to come from behind late in Game 2 to finish off Marist, they were in charge of the Wheaton North match from the beginning.
Waubonsie never trailed in Game 2, and its lead grew to its widest margin at the end.
Mike Storm added 10 kills for the Warriors, and Jon Pyne put away 6. Tyler House led with 7 blocks, and Seth Salmon had 4. Michael Nicholas came up with 10 digs.
Furman rang up 36 assists in the two-game match.
“As a former setter and a long-time teammate, I always know what Luke is going to do with the ball,” Simmons said. “We have really good timing now.”
“We have a young team, but they’re very experienced playing club ball at the highest level,” Lagger said. “This is a very mature team.”
Joey Krzyzewski led the Falcons with 10 kills.
“Waubonsie Valley has two very talented left sides and a very good setter,” said Wheaton North coach Ryan Baker. “We weren’t able to establish anything against them. They just put the ball away on us, and we didn’t make adjustments throughout the match.”
To make it to the Gold Division, one of Lake Park’s two victories was an upset of the No. 1-seeded Naperville North, which then defeated Evanston to move into the Silver Division.