Buffalo Grove earns another shot at Barrington
A week ago, Buffalo Grove outside hitter Scott Swedberg could only sit and watch as the Bison played Barrington in the Mid-Suburban League boys volleyball championship match.
The senior was aching to play, but with his arm in a sling due to a rotator cuff injury, Swedberg had to suffer on the bench as BG fell in straight sets.
“I was disappointed,” said the senior. “It was tough not to be on the court with my teammates.”
At 6:30 p.m. Friday, Swedberg will finally get his chance to go up against the Broncos.
BG’s 25-20, 25-15 regional championship victory over Fremd in Palatine means the Bison are moving on to a sectional semifinal match against the Broncos, who won the Waukegan regional Wednesday to advance to sectional play on their home court.
And while Swedberg’s playoff return may have provided a bit of inspiration for BG’s win, it was the energy of a pair of freshmen who gave the Bison a much needed boost.
Kevin Shanahan and Tullio Ruscitti, given extended postseason playing time, delivered clutch contributions.
“I was nervous and a little tingly,” said Ruscitti, who was playing in only his third varsity match after moving up from the 28-4 JV team. “I’ve just been trying to pass the ball as best I can and get it to our setter.”
Fremd senior outside hitter John Morrison led the hots with 5 kills as the 12th-seeded Viking’s Cinderella story came to an end.
“Buffalo Grove is a great team,” said Fremd coach Curt Pinley, “and we just made too many physical errors tonight. When you play against them, you’ve basically got to play error-free.”
“But I’m proud of our guys, especially our seniors, for getting us here — they led the way in that incredible win over Libertyville (where the Vikings rallied from one set down to win the regional semifinal).”
Fremd actually came out as the agressor and lead through most of the first game, but BG (25-12) rallied behind the stellar play of libero Michael Maley (13 digs) and setter Matt Bloom (20 assists) to take a one-set lead.
Set two was all BG and senior middle Sam Wacker, who hit four straight kills en route to a 6-kill, 4-block effort.
It was only three years ago that Wacker was in the same position as Ruscitti and Shanahan — a freshman thrust into the playoff spotlight — so he can definitely relate to what they’re going through.
“I know they were nervous, just like I was then” said the senior, “but they came out fired up and ready to go.”
“It doesn’t matter if they’re freshmen or seniors,” added Swedberg. “If they can play, they can play. They’re in the rotation now and they’re giving us a great defensive effort.”
Michael Starzec added 4 kills and 3 blocks for the Bison, who look forward their rematch versus No. 1 seed Barrington. Swedberg says BG will have to “turn the energy level up” to win.
“We’ve had what you could call an infusion of youth,” said BG coach Matt Aiello, “and they’ve given us a lot of enthusiam. These guys have hit the floor running and have played incredible defense.”
“We can’t come out flat against the Broncos,” added Wacker. “We’ve got to bring the fire. We know they may bounce or block a few balls on us, but we’ve got to push through.”