Lake County All-Area Team

Alex Dunlap Carmel

Carmel coach Kevin Nylen isn’t shy about bragging about his senior setter. “He had an unbelievable season,’’ Nylen said. “If we had a few more wins he certainly would have been in consideration for player of the year.” It’s clear that Dunlap came into his own this spring. He seemed almost effortlessly on the court as he found his hitters. The Corsairs wouldn’t have as much success in the rugged ESCC without this key player. Dunlap will close his career with exactly 1,400 assists. Amazingly, 776 came this spring. Nylen went digging in the Carmel record books to see where Dunlap’s career mark stands in school history. “He has a very high volleyball IQ,” Nylen said. “What a great athlete. He was a tremendous leaders on and off the court.”

Kevin Fitzgibbons Carmel

Setter Dunlap didn’t play favorites when passing the ball to his Carmel teammates. But it was hard to ignore his fellow senior Fitzgibbons. The 6-foot-3 senior frankly played taller than his frame. At times, he simply dominated. And Fitzgibbons could move around the court with ease. As an opposite he managed 176 kills and hit .245 for the season. He was also valuable at the net with 49 solo blocks. “He gave us great energy,’’ Nylen said. “He really came on at the end of the season. He put up a big block on opposing hitters and was a a constant threat offensively.” Nylen noted this senior used his offseason prior to volleyball season to get stronger. “He had a great off-season in weight room,’’ he said. “He had a huge increase in strength, vertical jump, and confidence. Fitz had just a fantastic season.”

Jason Fleischman Stevenson

It was Fleischman’s year to lead to the Patriots. And he took that job seriously. Last year as a junior, he was a key contributor. On the court, his athleticism paid off with several dynamic plays. “Jay has been a force for us the past two seasons,’’ said Stevenson coach Tim Crow. “He is a gifted athlete who caused difficulties for many teams this season.” During the Patriots strong season, Fleischman pounded out 206 kills and hit at a very strong .4138 percentage. He was important at the net as well with 82 blocks. “We relied on him a lot to carry us at times.” Crow said.

Teddy Kopacz Libertyville

This is a player who brought excitement to Libertyville program. He would greet fans in the crowd as his setting brought plenty of wins to the Wildcats. For one thing, new head coach Casey Aubin was glad to inherit this established setter. “Teddy is the definition of a complete player who ran our dynamic Libertyville offense,’’ Aubin said. Talk about making plays how about an incredible 855 assists in one season. Add up his both of his solo and assisted blocks and that adds up to 90.

Brandon Leatherwood Libertyville

Another inspired Libertyville player. He stepped up offensively when hitter Matt Tassler went down with an injury. Leatherwood paced the Wildcats on attack with 250 kills. Called upon to add leadership to the squad, he was selected to be a co-captain. “Brandon also played great defense for the Cats,’’ Aubin said. His block totals added up to 124 so it was clear he was a force at the net. And he didn’t shy away from playing defense notching 107 digs.

Jonah May Stevenson

Crow isn’t known for making bold statements. But he’s seen enough of this junior to make such a comment. “By the time he is done he could be possibly the best setter we have had here in awhile,” Crow said. Should we just declare him the best incoming senior setter in the area. May ran a 5-1 and his offense flourished because of it. He compiled 733 assists this spring and even added 59 kills. “He is a great leader and knows the game and his teammates as well,’’ Crow said. “We expect another huge season from him next year.”

Sean O’Connor Warren

One thing was clear with this Warren senior. He never looked up to anyone. This senior stood 6-foot-9 and he got better every season since his sophomore season. “His teammates joke that he is uncoordinated, but he actually has one of the highest verticals on the team,’’ said Warren assistant coach Kim Paasch. “He was able to play his own back row for much of the season, where he held his own defensively and was effective offensively from the back row.” O’Connor had 212 kills this season and led the team in blocks with 52. “He has been a cornerstone of our team the past three seasons,’’ she said. “He is consistent in his play, in his composure on the court, and in his work ethic in practice.”

Thomas Robinson Vernon Hills

It’s safe to say opposing players won’t miss watching those blistering hits go by their heads next year. That’s because the senior Robinson could bring it. He’ll retire from Vernon Hills as the best hitter in school history (752 kills). “Simply put together it was the best three-year varsity career we’ve ever had here,’’ said Vernon Hills coach Chris Curry. “He demanded a lot of attention from the opposition, which freed up everyone else on the team for the last two years. He was able to hit such a steep angle when he got a full reach on the ball that it was impossible to block and really hard to dig.” When the Robinson boys (Mike) moved here from Minnesota, it certainly helped the volleyball program. “It’ll be strange not putting a Robinson in the lineup after over 4 years of having Thomas or his brother Mike on the outside,’’ Curry said.

Tyler Smith Warren

This is the setter they made at Warren. And that project seems to have worked out. It certainly helped that he stands 6-foot-3. This was his second season running the Warren offense after learning this new position. Running the 5-1, he managed 620 assists to go with 43 kills. “This year, he came in much more seasoned at the position,’’ Paasch said. “And was able to run the offense smoothly. He really began thinking like a setter and a leader, always coming to us before and after games and during time outs with ideas and strategies that I know didn’t cross his mind last year as a younger setter.” He was also versatile adding 30 blocks, 30 aces and notching 112 digs.

Brad Tiller Stevenson

Here’s another player who changed his position for the good of the team. Tiller, a junior, was a trained middle who stood behind two players a year ago. So this season, he moved outside and claimed a starting job on the outside. All his did in his first year hitting was to lead the Stevenson team in kills with 235. “He did an amazing job playing out of his normal position this season,’’ Crow said. Crow also noted he did not shy away in key matches. “He always put up big numbers in big games,’’ Crow said.

Parker Tortorello Mundelein

The Mustangs put this powerful senior on the outside and let him pound away at the net. But next year, he’ll be libero at Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee. He also has played setter during club season. “He’s very well suited to play libero in college,’’ said Mundelein coach George Dressen. “He knows the court well.” His defensive report card this year is impressive with 189 digs. But Tortorello was known for his vicious jump serve that he trained well. Even jump serving, he served at a 90 percent rate. In his final year of hitting, Tortorello banged out 254 kills.

All-area roster

Player School Yr. Pos.

Alex Dunlap Carmel Catholic Sr. S

Kevin Fitzgibbons Carmel Catholic Sr. OPP

Jason Fleischman Stevenson Sr. RS

Teddy Kopacz Libertyville Sr. S

Brandon Leatherwood Libertyville Sr. RS

Jonah May Stevenson Jr. S

*Martin Niemczewski Vernon Hills Sr. OPP

Sean O’Connor Warren Sr. RS

Thomas Robinson Vernon Hills Sr. OH

Tyler Smith Warren Sr. S

Brad Tiller Stevenson Jr. OH

Parker Tortorello Mundelein Sr. OH

*Honorary captain

Honorable mention

Joe Alexander (Warren Sr. OH), Jeremy Anderson (Lake Zurich Jr. S), Max Bongratz (Warren So. MB), Blake Burton (Mundelein Jr. MB), Frankie Cohen (Carmel Catholic Sr. OH/L), Will Collazo (Carmel Catholic Sr. MH), Corey Flores (Mundelein Sr. OH), Richard Galat (Lakes So. S), Mike Heinz (Vernon Hills So. OH), Ian Keller (Antioch Jr. ), Ryan Opitz (Vernon Hills So. S), Collin Ryan (Stevenson Sr. OH), Michael Savio (Lake Zurich So. OH/L), Mason Solbrig (Lakes Jr. MB), Max Spiglanin (Vernon Hills So. MB), Stefan Vidovich (Libertyville Sr. MB), Stewart Zackler (Libertyville Sr. L), Aaron Zalewski (Stevendon Jr. MB)