Boys volleyball: Addison Trail overcomes adversity, beats Willowbrook

Senior Mikey Strycharz and his Addison Trail boys volleyball teammates could have been shaken Tuesday at Willowbrook after losing starting senior middle blocker Michael Pudlo to a dislocated finger during warmups.

The Blazers also could have been fazed by numerous mistakes and a 5-point deficit late in the first set.

"We just started playing with more energy. Players started yelling a lot more and it got us all excited," Strycharz said.

"A lot of us (seniors) were put on varsity our sophomore year. All of that experience, three years of playing varsity volleyball, it just helps so much."

The Blazers persevered and came up with clutch points to pull out a 26-24, 25-23 victory in the West Suburban Conference Gold opener in Villa Park.

Addison Trail (7-2) trailed 21-16 in the first game and never led until scoring the final two points on senior David Zielinski's tip kill and set-ending kill off senior Jacob Grygo's backset.

The Blazers led 22-19 in the second game and then held off the Warriors (1-2) after they closed to 23-22. Zielinski again delivered the final kill after his pass to setter Grygo off service receive.

"Being a part of this team is cool, so being able to put a couple of kills away always adds a little something," said Zielinski, who had 11 kills and 12 digs.

"I feel like we didn't wake up until later in the match. It was kind of lackadaisical in the beginning. Then we finally realized we're kind of behind and we kind of finished it off there."

Addison Trail junior Justin Werderitch added 7 kills, Grygo had 23 assists and 4 kills and Strycharz had 12 digs, 4 kills and 7 service points - all in the second game.

For Willowbrook, senior Tim Keefe had 6 kills and junior Joe Cavazos 5 with 15 assists from senior Nick Cookingham. Senior Jake Entwistle added 10 digs.

On Saturday at the Wheaton Warrenville South Invite, Pudlo left early and the Blazers won their final match against Glenbrook North without him to capture the consolation title of the silver bracket (13th overall). Strycharz said the Blazers played considerably better than Tuesday's 12 service errors with 3 aces and 30 kills with 16 attack errors.

"(The early deficit) felt like it was bigger than it was in the first game. But these guys are mentally tough. We've got a lot of seniors so they're pretty comfortable with being in pressure situations," Addison Trail coach Chad Grant said.

"We just lacked a little bit of mental focus (early). I don't know if the injury was part of that. A little sloppy, but sometimes you find a way to win."

Willowbrook also came out strong, collecting four blocks in the first set and not committing an attack error until leading 16-13. The Warriors, however, had another when leading 23-22 and a service error on its game point at 24-23 just after a Blazers' service error.

In their March 20 opener, the Warriors led Glenbard East 24-21 in the second set but lost 25-19, 31-29.

"We did a lot of things well (Tuesday), but we just seem to get in that little mid-game slump," Willowbrook coach Ryan Bazon said.

"Something to build on - that's something we talk about all of the time. Last year was a learning year for us, and they're playing at a higher level. We have some stuff to talk about but I want them to play to win, not just play not to lose."

The second set featured numerous long rallies. Junior John Baumgartner, the last-second sub for Pudlo, contributed both of his kills, including at 23-22 in probably the match's longest point.

"(Pudlo is) a great player, but we also have other great players on the bench," Zielinski said. "We have a lot of seniors on this team. It's kind of our goal to make it a decent distance in the playoffs."

Last season Addison Trail lost to third-place state finisher Lake Park in the sectional semifinals. Willowbrook also has several returnees from last season's 17-victory team that lost its playoff opener to St. Francis.

"I feel like we played hard (Tuesday). It's definitely an improvement from last year," Cookingham said. "We just need to get rid of those mental lapses. We always come out on fire. If we fix that up, I feel like we can play against anyone."