Buffalo Grove tips Elk Grove

Just like last time, Buffalo Grove and Elk Grove came out and battled like two heavyweights in Tuesday's Mid-Suburban East boys volleyball match.

This time, though, it was the visiting Bison who were able to prevail.

Only weeks after the Grenadiers ended BG's 40-game conference winning streak, the visiting Bison turned the tables in an inspired performance at Charles E. Aldrich gymnasium.

Before a large crowd, BG defeated Elk Grove 25-16, 17-25, 25-18 to move into a division tie with the Grens. Both teams are 5-1 in the East with 4 games to play.

“This was a big win,” said Bison outside hitter Scott Swedberg, whose strong play turned the tide for BG in the third set. “It was important that we come out tonight and play well against a good team like Elk Grove.”

“They've got some big hitters, so we spent a lot of time in practice working on our blocking,” added the senior. “We knew where they liked to hit and we worked on ways to block their attack.”

Swedberg led BG with 9 kills, while Michal Kawa of the Grens finished with 14 kills and 4 blocks.

“This was a game of runs,” said Elk Grove coach Dan Windholz. “I told the guys before the match that to win we had to come out and match their (BG's) intensity.

“We did play hard, but we didn't have the same intensity that they did.”

After the teams slugged their way through the first two sets, it was the Swedberg and the Bison who came out and set the tone in the third set.

Swedberg's consecutive block kills fired up his team and led BG to a quick 12-7 advantage, but Elk Grove fought back behind Kawa and Aaron Kraus (7 kills) to close within 2 points.

But the Grens couldn't catch up as BG extended the lead, and an ace from junior libero Michael Maley closed out the match.

“We were together tonight,” said Maley, who finished with 21 digs. “Our hitters came out and showed what they could do, and we were able to execute our game plan.”

Matt McKenna had 4 blocks for the Grens (19-4, 5-1), while setter Jeff Miceli excelled with 24 assists.

“Buffalo Grove played extremely well,” said Windholz, “and I think one of the big factors tonight was that we've got a lot of young guys who aren't used to this type of atmosphere or being on the big stage. BG is in this position every year.

“But if there's such a thing as a good loss, this was it. We lost to a very good team, and we'll take what we learned, find ways to improve and move forward.”

Sam Wacker and Matt Bloom each added 7 kills for BG, which improved to 15-8 overall.

“We played with a lot of energy tonight,” said Swedberg. “That was the key.”