Boys volleyball: Hersey takes title at St. Charles East

Hersey simply refused to lose.

After Plainfield East won the first game 25-18, the resilient Huskies rallied to win the second game 25-19 and the third game 26-24 to claim top honors at Saturday's St. Charles East boys volleyball invite.

"After the second game I told the kids we had the momentum and were playing well," said Hersey coach Laura Gerber. "The kids believed in themselves and we beat a very good team. Playing so many games in a day, you figure details out on your team."

Nate Meyer spearheaded the Huskies attack with 29 kills, 5 blocks and 3 aces. Hersey is now 8-2 overall after going 5-0 in the tournament.

"We were tired but so were they (Plainfield East)," said Meyer. "After the second game, coach said we had the momentum going into the third game. We had to fight through a lot of adversity. We beat a really good team.""

The decisive third game was a classic.

Hersey looked to be in good shape to win the game and the match after an ace by Meyer. The Huskies led 14-7.

But the Cougars refused to quit and tied the match at 24 on a kill by Danny Haughian.

Hersey scored the final 2 points on errors to win the match.

Haughian paced Plainfield East with 13 kills.

Geneva takes third:

After losing the first match of the day to Plainfield East 18-25, 25-15, 15-11. it seemed like a long day for Geneva could be a real possibility.

The Vikings recovered nicely from the early setback.

Geneva, which won its final 3 matches in pool play, defeated Waubonsie Valley 25-23, 25-20 to claim third place.

"If only we could have played that match at 3 p.m. instead of 8 a.m. against Plainfield East," said Geneva coach Stephanie Hennig. "We really bounced back from that loss. We want to make progress from March to May and I think we are. I tell the kids we need to control what we can control. We are meshing as a team. We were tired but played with a lot of emotion."

Daniel Youman paced the Vikings with 16 kills, 4 blocks and 3 aces.

"We had to bounce back after the loss to Plainfield East," said Youman. "We had a tough mindset and fought through. We beat a very good Waubonsie Valley team."

Hennig is glad to have Youman on her team.

"He goes out and attacks," said Hennig. "Daniel is assuming more of a leadership role this season."

In the second game, Youman's kill gave the Vikings (7-5) a 23-15 lead.

The Warriors responded with a 5-1 run and trailed 24-20 after a kill by Kyle Tukker.

The Vikings took advantage of a Waubonsie Valley error to win the game and match.