Boys volleyball: Libertyville, New Trier advance to sectional final at Barrington
Libertyville’s smallest uniform number is reserved for its tallest player: 6-foot-10 middle hitter Nathan Knight.
Sporting No. 0, the junior and Ball State commit filled the stat sheet with double-digit points as Libertyville (31-4) earned a road win over Barrington (24-12) in the sectional semifinal Saturday, triumphing in straight sets.
“We prepared for Barrington and I think we showed it on the floor,” Libertyville coach Jenny Smith said. “Barrington is a very good team, they’ve got giant athletes. I think we did a really nice job stopping what they wanted to do with our blocking and our defense was outstanding.”
Knight led the Wildcats with four blocks and six kills as Libertyville advanced to the Barrington sectional final against New Trier on Tuesday.
Not one to take all the credit, Knight shouted out his teammates for making his job easy.
“They always set up the block the right way, and then all I have to do is close,” Knight said. “They did a good job of setting it up for me to just get to a spot and shut them down.”
Libertyville entered the match with six straight wins, dropping just one set during the span. The Wildcats continued the momentum early, breaking a 10-10 tie and embarking on a 7-1 run capped by a block from Knight. A block from Barrington’s Sam Grozdic cut the lead to four, but that was as close as the Broncos would get in the set, dropping a 25-19 decision.
“That wasn’t our cleanest match,” Barrington coach Charlie Spry said. “We definitely struggled with serving in the beginning of the first set and then that carried over. We were a little shaky in our serve receive, and then once you get a little big rattled, it can be hard.”
The Broncos scored the first two points of the second set, but the Wildcats responded with six straight points, featuring two aces from senior Aarav Bamrolia, who led the team with 15 assists.
“Every part of our team is strong,” Bamrolia said. “We don’t have any weaknesses. I feel like the best part about it is we play together.”
“Half of our team is just liberos playing out of position,” Knight added. “Honestly, anyone on our team could put up a perfect ball to get us in system.”
A Barrington rally cut the deficit to 10-9, but Libertyville regained control once again, charging to a commanding 18-11 lead and closing out the 25-19 victory with another point from Knight. Libertyville teammates Lukas Slesers and Jordan Coughlin followed Knight in kills with five and four, respectively.
The loss for Barrington marked the final high school game for its 11 seniors. Spry said his squad has evolved into a more confident group compared to its first game back in March.
“I think the team at the beginning of the year did not believe they could beat every team that they possibly played,” Spry said. “I think this team towards the end believed it … I’m really proud.”
New Trier d. Lake Zurich
New Trier captain Joseph Jackier had a simple message for his team: Play like it's your last point. The Trevians, up 22-20 over Lake Zurich in the third set of the sectional semifinal, were three points away from advancing, but also faced a legitimate comeback threat from the Bears. Lake Zurich climbed out of a 14-9 deficit earlier and were poised to continue their historic season.
New Trier didn’t blink, scoring the next three points. After junior Oliver scored on a spike to get the Trevians to 24, he delivered the next point from about the same spot on the floor, only this time, tapped a light set over the net for the game-winner.
Potterfield led the team with 12 kills, senior Charlie Tinsley added 10, and Grantas Vasiliauskas contributed five as the Trevians (25-10) moved on to the Barrington sectional final Tuesday.
“We just had a next-point mentality the whole time,” Tinsley said. “Could’ve been our last game. We’re all brothers and we put it on the line for each other.”
The Trevians managed a narrow 28-26 victory in the first set, but gave away an early 7-1 advantage. The Bears knotted the set at 21 apiece before Tinsley’s point put his team back on top. Lake Zurich refused to back down, again tying the game at 26 before two errors put the set away.
Undaunted by the close loss, the Bears dominated the second set with potent blocking up front led by outside hitter Gabe Schwartz with four and opposite hitter Joshua Stephen with three. Lake Zurich led by as many as eight and prevailed, 25-19.
New Trier adjusted in the third set, coach Sue Ellen Haak explained. The Trevians diversified their rotation by setting up different people with different shots, most often over or around Lake Zurich blockers. But the changes weren’t entirely effective, as the Bears scored five straight points to knot the set at 14.
“I’m proud of how we fought,” Lake Zurich coach Brett Stuart said. “Even when we went down three or four points, we always took a timeout and fought back.”
The defeat ended Lake Zurich’s campaign at a 35-4 record, the program’s first 30-win regular season and its third regional title. Stuart said he reminded his players that the last time the Bears won such hardware, they were back in elementary school.
“I told them it’s always hard when it ends this way, but they have really created a large, lasting legacy,” Stuart said.
Schwartz led the Bears with 14 kills, followed by Wyatt Jones with 11 and Stephen with five. Libero Nikola Stanojevic topped the team with six digs.
“Our whole team has fun with each other,” Stuart said. “They get along, and that’s such an underrated part of it. When they get along and are like that, they fight for each other more. Our fight has improved, our blocking has improved, really every facet of our game has.”