Scouting the DuPage County and Fox Valley boys volleyball season
Here’s a look at what to expect this spring for boys volleyball teams in DuPage County and the Fox Valley.
ADDISON TRAIL
The Blazers hope to improve on their 11-18 overall record and 1-5 West Suburban Gold mark last year behind returning seniors Richard Garcia, Christopher Aguilerra Isaac Zurita and Diego Zuniga along with juniors Matt Correa and Joaquin Ruiz and sophomore David Strachan.
Newcomers include juniors Carter McCoo and Joez Villangatt.
"The conference is always competitive," said coach Jessica Clark. “We want to compete at a higher level. We have a lot of returners with some new talent. We have a strong junior class with a lot of kids who have played varsity since freshmen year. We have a dedicated group.”
BARTLETT
The Hawks are attempting to rebound from a rough 2025 season, going 5-29 and 0-5 in the Upstate Eight.
Back are seniors Matt Bartoszewski, Ayan Shah, Abdullah Siddiqui and Aarsh Patel along with juniors Brian Campbell and Danny Pena and sophomore Sam Almoradie.
Newcomers are juniors Alex Wojcik, Alan Villafuerte, Chris Marano, Will Fors, Zack Thomas and Luca Cipolla and sophomore Moksh Chauhan.
"We need to do better this season," said coach Robert Schwantz, who has 201 wins in 15 years. “We want to have a winning record once the postseason starts. We want to improve our performance in the conference. We want to compete for the top spot in the conference. We are hungry to turn this thing around.”
BENET
The Redwings were second in the East Suburban Catholic Conference (7-1) and were 29-7 overall last year. Marist won the ESCC with a perfect 8-0 slate. Benet defeated Oswego to win a regional title and lost to Plainfield South in the sectional semifinals.
Seniors Luke Mitra, Lukas Carlsen, Quinn Robinson and Ben Schreidel along with juniors Vince Caby and Francisco Betancourt are back, joined by seniors Benas Ungaraitis and Ayden Milka and juniors Zach Lange, Aidan Calimilion, Will Shields, Alex Wold, Will Nichols, Conner Helfy and Max Piotrowski.
''Marist and (Niles) Notre Dame are tough and St. Viator and St. Patrick's are scrappy and resilient," said Benet coach Hector Cano. “There will be a lot of learning development. We hope by the end of the year we will be ready for a state playoff run."
DOWNERS GROVE NORTH
The Trojans were 33-5 and tied for the West Suburban Conference Silver title with Oak Park-River Forest. DGN won the Downers Grove South invitational and took second at the Marist invitational. The Trojans lost to Plainfield South in the regional finals.
Seniors Aaron Grey, Baldwin Wallace, Ethan Weiner and Jude Caldwell are back while senior Brandon Beth, junior Easton Isaacson and sophomores Emperor Pratts and Joey Stojanov join the team.
"We lost a ton of talented veterans," said coach Mark Wasik. “We had a disappointing finish to an incredible season. We bring enough senior leadership and experience to guide a core of young but talented athletes that allow us to remain competitive."
DOWNERS GROVE SOUTH
Seniors Linas Kasperiunas, Nico Fallara, Aarav Shah, Riley Bowditch and Nedas Blauzdys return for the Mustangs (17-19, 5-1), who add senior Amari Thomas and junior Mason Knorr.
"This year we want to get back on top of the conference," said coach Kurt Steuer. "We have a lot of senior leadership. We want to be competitive against the top teams. We want to be prepared to play in the toughest sectional in the state."
GENEVA
The Vikings, under 10th-year coach Stephanie Hennig, were 18-15 overall and 1-5 in the DuKane Conference with their season ending with a loss to St. Charles North in the regional quarterfinals.
Returners include seniors Henry Sartell (Augustana), Jack Rodenbostel (Lake Forest) and Landon Prysmiki (Dominican) along with junior Nick Norkus.
"We have another hard schedule," said Hennig. “All our opponents are tough. We are excited to compete. We want to have a better record than last year. We are committed to continuous growth.”
GLENBARD EAST
The Rams were 20-16 a year ago and tied for the Upstate Eight Conference East title with Riverside-Brookfield and West Chicago.
Glenbard East will miss junior Gloire Emma (280 kills) with a torn ACL.
Even without Emma, the Rams have a veteran group bolstered by seniors Gabe Polyak, Jake Hayes, Nate Lynch, Mike Hoffmann, Jackson Yates and Charlie Cooper. Sophomore Max Walschmidt.
“We have 10 returning players from the 2025 season with experience," said coach Brad Cardott. ”We have a strong core of seniors. We are looking forward to being at the top of UEC this season. We have experienced returners at each position with depth, leadership and strength."
GLENBARD NORTH
The Panthers return seniors Matthew Alamonte (all-DuKane Conference), Marcus Hernandez, Jack Powers and Bentley Tamafalau and sophomore Riley Lankford to go with senior newcomers Shlok Amin, Josh Faro, Emmanuel Gomez Diaz, Mateja Mihajlovic, Saven Patel and Rayaan Shaikh along with sophomore Saman Senenat.
"We are focused on building strong leadership within the program," said coach Dedra Debenedetti. “That continues to be a priority in the program. We have a solid group of key returners. We are excited about the group of newcomers. We hope to compete in the competitive DuKane Conference and beyond.”
GLENBARD SOUTH
The Raiders (17-19, 3-3), who lost to Minooka in the regional quarterfinals last year, return two-time all-UEC performer Troy Oleksak to spearhead the attack.
Oleksak will be joined by seniors Dom Kuceba and Jackson McCabe, juniors Aaron Gomez, Emmett Foster-Simbulan, Jonas Ghionzioli, Parker Minkley, Kallen Olson and Andrew Mihailescu, and freshmen Owen Stauber, Tyler Urbanowicz and Matt Wisniewski.
"We have several versatile players," said coach Chad Grant. “We have 12 returning players who all saw the court last season. We showed a lot of growth. We are ready to win. Our defense is our strength. I am looking forward to seeing what this team can accomplish."
GLENBARD WEST
The Hilltoppers, who lost to Marist in last year’s state championship game, return seniors Brendan Markey, Carter Long, Luke Bachmann, Ian Hoster, Otis Yahn and Andrew Fanella along with sophomore Lukas Wallin.
"It will be a difficult season for the Toppers," said coach Christine Giunta Mayer, who has 631 wins in 20 years. “The conference talent is way up. We are looking forward to the challenge. It is a marathon not a sprint.”
HINSDALE CENTRAL
The Red Devils (12-24, 1-5) return seniors Kenny Roedica, Dane Berringer and Eeshan Lal, junior Bjorn Vinje and sophomore Nate Ruth. They add sophomore Matt Kluchenek and freshman Braden Degnan.
“Some of the best volleyball is played in the West Suburban Silver," said coach Tom Gilbert. ”It seems like one or two teams make it to the final state series every year. The conference is exciting to be a part of. We have a lot of returners and some young talent which will hopefully give us a spark and make a good push in the playoffs. We are expecting a better season."
HINSDALE SOUTH
The Hornets won the West Suburban Gold with a perfect 6-0 slate last year.
Seniors Tomaz Lobas (Lewis University), Justyn Gladla and Navin Linson return.
"We want to compete for a conference title," said Hornets coach Joe Lencoini. “We want to make a postseason run.”
IC CATHOLIC PREP
The Knights, 3-12 a year ago playing a junior varsity schedule, are beginning its first year at the varsity level. Coach Carlos Jasso returns sophomores Trent Levy and Flynn Walsh to go with freshman newcomers Sean Cantwell, Luke Denekas, Sam Richards, Ryan Braniff and Peter Graham.
IC will play in the Chicagoland Christian Conference.
"This is the most competitive conference," said Jasso. “We are a great addition to the CCL. We are learning, building and developing a program for years to come. We are confident we will be a competitive team and will win matches we are suppose to win."
LAKE PARK
The Lancers advanced to the state quarterfinals last year, losing to eventual state champion Marist in 3 sets.
Coach Brian Fischer's troops return seniors Nolan Cocat (Purdue Fort Wayne), Ethan Schnable (Aurora University) and Anthony Bellavia (Illinois Wesleyan) along with sophomore Jake Ellenbecker. Newcomers Tim Johnson Reinhart (senior) and freshman Owen Mueller join the mix.
"We have a mixture of varsity experience and newcomers," said Fischer. “We want to compete at the top of the conference. We graduated 80 percent of our offense. We are looking for guys to step up. We want to come together and compete at a high level."
METEA VALLEY
The Mustangs were 16-18 overall and second in the DuPage Valley Conference last year, losing to St. Francis in the first round of regionals.
Seniors Rushil Gandhi, Avinash Parthiban, Rudra Patel, Om Kota and Vladyslav Kadihrob are back from that team joined by seniors Saket Gajara, Varun Kalididni, Niveah Mhahesh, Krish Malhotra and Matteo Guiilen and junior Rigel Ji.
"We are optimistic," said coach Brandon Navigato. “We have a lot of new pieces to work and implement into the system. We are encouraged to what we are doing in our gym.We want to compete towards the top of the conference."
NAPERVILLE CENTRAL
The Redhawks (6-28, 0-8) bring back seniors Robbie Ruttig (Vassar), Lucas Hayes and Liam Mask along with juniors Teddy Bramlett and Martin Kuta while adding juniors Noah Latakas and Bryson McGrath.
"We want to improve from last season," said coach Roger Strausberger, who has 338 career wins. “We want to get our first regional win since 2018. We are playing new nonconference opponents and various regional teams. That should help in the playoffs.”
NEUQUA VALLEY
Coach Erich Mendoza's squad went 27-12 last year, 6-2 in the DuPage Valley Conference. Neuqua Valley won a regional before losing to Glenbard West in the sectional semifinals.
Senior Liam Mitchell is the only returning starter; those attempting to join him in the starting lineup include seniors Jimmy O Neal and Dean Javier (High Point) along with junior newcomers Nathan Barger, Collin Harden and Shrikar Sunil.
"We have a strong group of kids who were on the JV team last year," said Mendoza. “We look for them to be varsity contributors this season. We want to contend for the conference championship. We had a great season last year winning our first regional since 2019. We want to build off last season's success."
ST. CHARLES EAST
The Saints return five senior starters from a 2025 team that posted a 26-12 overall mark, 2-4 in the DuKane Conference before losing to conference foe Wheaton Warrenville South in the regional championship.
Seniors Zack Heilers (all-conference, all-IVCA all-academic team), Ethan Perkins (Concordia University Irvine), Josh Trentham, Keegan Suessen and Anthony Sylvester return joined by juniors Camden Bolster, Parker Eisenmenger and Joe Hisel and freshman Liam Bishop.
"We want to improve on a 2-4 conference record from last year," said coach Matt Caputo. “We have several key starters back and some strong newcomers. We want to pick up where we left off last year, our strongest season ever."
ST. CHARLES NORTH
The North Stars (20-15) return seniors Cooper Meades, Alex Kinzle, Tomas Makishima and Nolan Wallace, and juniors Logan Haycraft and Tyler Custer. Freshman Hieu Nguyen is a newcomer to watch.
“We want a better conference showing," said coach Jamie Buhnerkemper. ”This year's schedule we don't have any back-to-back matches."
ST. FRANCIS
The Spartans were 14-23 last year and 5-3 in the rugged Catholic League, good enough for second place.
Seniors Peter Zgutowicz, Mateo Casmiro, Luke Davis, Liam Smith and Garrity Bennett return along with junior George Onorski and sophomore Michael Thang.
Coach Mike Lynch adds juniors Jack Shannon, Augustine Cin, Abraham Kap, Cin Chai and Jackson Blaha and freshman Evan King to the roster.
"We have growth, depth and work ethic and are able to compete at a high level," said Lynch. “We are poised to make a run in the state playoffs. We are excited to see where this group is headed. We are still a relatively young team. We have more polished and confident players who will be tested though the conference and will play some of the top teams in the state."
STREAMWOOD
The Sabres are coming off a 21-11 season, 5-2 in the Upstate Eight Conference. They bring back seniors Alexander Paz (all-UEC), Jesse Sanchez, Luis Antunez, Esau Zaragoza and Ian Rivera while adding seniors Julian Blalark McCoy, Edgar Cortez, Luis Esteban, Angel Fekiciano, Isaac Quintero, Tyler Sharks and Brandon Terceroand sophomore Tobiasz Kubajek.
"We are a heavy senior team with our top three hitters back," said coach Michele Mueller. “We have several players with several years of experience. We are looking forward to the many newcomers stepping up to their roles. We have been in the regional championships back-to-back years. We are growing as a program.”
TIMOTHY CHRISTIAN
The Trojans (22-14) tied for the Chicagoland Conference title and have seniors Evan Frens, James Matousek, Caleb Lindenmulder and Isaac Tameling, juniors Nate Horne and Andrew Lumkes and sophomore Charlie Schommer back from that team. They add sophomores Jason Vogt and Caleb White.
"We anticipate at least a share of the conference title," said coach Corey Oliver.
WAUBONSIE VALLEY
The Warriors (14-19, 5-3) return seniors Micheal Johnson (Aurora University), Dhruvesh Parthiban (all-DVC), Harish Krishnan, Ajay Koller, Jad Amari (all-DVC, Case Western) and Eric Mirchev, plus junior Jonah Aranda.
Juniors Ollie Weisler, Bruno Silveira and Ethan Burnett, sophomores Braeden Black and Xylo Ramsey and freshman Oleg Shin join the team.
"This is a younger team that I have had in recent years," said coach Noel Soto. “There will be growing pains early but development should be quick. This is the most athletic team I have had during my tenure at Waubonsie Valley. This team works hard in practice every day. We want to compete for a conference championship.”
WEST AURORA
Back for West Aurora, who finished third in the UEC West last year, are seniors Liam Norris and Richard Jiminez, juniors Jesus Galvan, Leonel Sanchez, Will Johnson and Jonathan Lowe and sophomore Reznor Orebaugh.
"We have a lot of first-year varsity players," said coach Grant Marlowe. “We are striving for improvement and growth. We want to be in position for some wins in the playoffs.”
WHEATON ACADEMY
The Warriors were 20-7 overall and tied for the Chicagoland Conference title with Timothy Christian last year.
Back for 20th-year coach DA Nichols are seniors Daniel Ciszek, Ollie Williams and Nathan Owens, juniors Josiah Nichols, Abram Lee, Logan Legel, AJ Chavez and Kolby Saurer and sophomore Kellen Saurer.
Senior Andy Chen, junior Aaron Downey and sophomores Logan Lennox, Julius Nevins and Noah Kinczyk join the mix.
"We graduated some key pieces," said Nichols. “We hope returners incorporate the younger players into the system. We have the pieces to be very competitive. The amount of growth we can achieve is very high.”
WHEATON NORTH
The Falcons went 25-11 and lost to Wheaton Warrenville South in the South Elgin sectional championship game last season.
Seniors Aidan Syswerda (all-state, all-state academic, all conference), Peter Dey (all-state academic), Joe Claud, Alex Scribner and Tomas Manrique and juniors Owen Hubner and Will Biagini return while juniors Jake Johnson, Joey Brudzinski and Theo Lee are new.
"We have seven starters back and we want to challenge for the DuKane Conference championship and make a deep playoff run," said coach John Noe IV. “We have almost our entire roster back. We want to improve our skills as the season goes. Wheaton Warrenville South, Lake Park and (us) are all contenders in the DuKane Conference."
WHEATON WARRENVILLE SOUTH
The Tigers were 32-8 and winners of the DuKane Conference with a perfect 6-0 slate in 2025, then advanced to the state finals.
Senior Simon Bratt, a 3-time all-stater and an all-American as a junior, led the state in aces (74) last year. Seniors Marko Polavino and Aiden Wink along with sophomore Nate Paige also return while the Tigers add senior Matt Mikyl, sophomores Ben Stellwagen, Dylan Bastaans and Liam Noonan and freshmen Logan Thornton, Ryan Sweeney and Matt Burkly.
“We want to keep things going,” said coach Bill Schreier, who has won 750 matches in 28 years. “We have a good mix of seniors and underclassmen. We have a talented group of newcomers. We want to progress throughout the season. We want to continue our path to the elite eight.”
YORK
The Dukes (26-11, 4-2) are paced by senior Princeton recruit Hunter Sepanich, 6-foot-8 outside hitter.
"Hunter is one of the most decorated student-athletes ever at York," said coach Ken Dowdy.
Seniors Leo Nardini, Nik Reshamwala and Owen Serr also return along with junior Matthew Denton. The newcomers include seniors Yusuf Saratwala, Dylan Stavridis, Chase McCall, Quinn Feeney and Emmet Dougherty, juniors Alex Smal, Finn Dochoff and Connor Evans, sophomore Brady Stephens and freshman Owen Rodriguez.
"We are young and inexperienced," said Dowdy. “We have a high ceiling with talented players joining the varsity. Glenbard West is the favorite in the conference until someone ends the dynasty. Oak Park-River Forest is also very good and may be the best team in the state. Let's be real, the West Suburban Silver is the best conference in the state."