Boys volleyball: WW South sweeps rival, advances to state tournament
Junior all-stater Simon Bratt made sure Wheaton Warrenville South would make an appearance at this weekend's boys volleyball state finals at Hoffman Estates High School.
Bratt's 19 kills and 4 aces propelled the Tigers to a 25-12, 25-21 win over crosstown rival Wheaton North in the South Elgin sectional final Tuesday night.
It is the third time the Tigers (32-7) have beaten the Falcons this season.
WW South (32-7) will play Lane Tech in the state quarterfinals Friday at 2 p.m. Lane advanced by beating host DePaul College Prep, 25-21, 25-21, on Tuesday.
"It is an amazing feeling," said Bratt. “We were super ready for this match. We call it controlled chaos. We are excited about playing in the state finals. That was one of our goals going into the season.”
WW South coach Bill Schreier is happy to have Bratt on his side.
"He is a great kid," said the Tigers coach. “He is a team player and fits into our system."
The Tigers were upset in the regional finals by Geneva a year ago.
"That was a bitter loss,“ said Schreier. ”That loss was a driving force for us this year."
Bratt delivered 5 kills with an ace and Mergen Purevsuren served 2 aces as the Tigers started out with a 10-3 lead.
A pair of kills by Alex Scribner pulled Wheaton North (26-11) within 10-5, but the Falcons couldn't get any closer.
With 2 kills and an ace from Bratt and a game-ending kill by Aiden Wink, the Tigers scored the final 6 points.
The Falcons put up a fight in Game 2.
With six lead changes, the Falcons (26-11), had the lead at 15-14 on a kill by Aiden Syswerda.
The Tigers took the lead for good at 21-20 on a kill by Marc Gheorghita. A kill by Bratt gave the Tigers the set, match and sectional championship.
Gheorghita had 25 assists, 2 kills and an ace for the winners. Nate Paige led the defense with 9 digs.
"We did a good job of passing and staying within our system," said Schreier. “This was a team win.”
Syswerda paced the Falcons with 12 kills.
"We didn't execute our scheme in the first game and did a much better job in the second game," said Wheaton North coach John Noe. “We woke up in the second game and were much more competitive.
“It was a season of ups and downs. Since the end of April we had a 12-match winning streak and are playing well. We were much more consistent. They (Wheaton Warrenville South) are a solid team and seemed locked in going into the state finals."