Boys volleyball: Glenbard West earns another trip to state

It’s not that the Bolingbrook boys volleyball team was just happy to be in a supersectional, but there is no arguing that Glenbard West held a huge advantage in experience.

The Raiders (32-7), after all, had just won their first sectional title, while the Hilltoppers are regulars at the state tournament. In a tight first set Tuesday night at Hinsdale South, the two teams took turns scoring points and Glenbard West led just 19-17 as the Raiders called a timeout.

It was at this point that the nerves may have gotten to Bolingbrook as four straight errors allowed Glenbard West to take command and eventually claim the opener on its way to a 25-19, 25-14 two-set victory and yet another trip to the state finals, which open Friday at Bolingbrook.

Glenbard West coach Christine GuintaMayer, who admitted that the program’s trip to state last season was a pleasant surprise, was not surprised to have this year’s team make another deep playoff run. The program is used to working hard, mixing up their attacks on the court, and always having high expectations.

“I’m proud of this group,” she said. “This group is more versatile, and it makes it harder to scout us. I’m tired of people writing us off. We’re always gonna work hard.”

The Hilltoppers (37-2) led 7-4 in the opener following a kill from Ian Hoster, but Bolingbrook scored the next four points and the set was then tied at 8, 9 and 13 before Glenbard West closed it out with a 6-2 run that featured a block kill from Jack Belda and a kill by Lukas Wailin at game point.

The Hilltoppers then stormed ahead 10-2 and took the second set with much less stress than the first.

“You got to be there to know how to be there,” Raiders coach Molly DeSerf said. “It was worth the ride and I am proud of them. Hopefully each year we get one game closer (to state).”

The Raiders inexperience hurt them in the end, but it didn’t help matters that Glenbard West played a clean second set and the passing was clicking all night long.

“We passed amazing. It was extraordinary,” GiuntaMayer said.

Andrew Fanella, one of the team’s two setters, agreed.

“Our serve receive players were phenomenal,” Fanella said. “They were giving it to the setters and letting us get it to our hitters.”

Sophomore Christian Cudzio, who was playing in his first supersectional, said the team focused on keeping errors at a minimum on Tuesday.

“We just focused on playing clean and keeping the ball in the court,” he said. “This was similar to the Hinsdale South match the other night. We started a little slow but then we really picked it up in the second set.”

Next up is a state quarterfinal matchup against O’Fallon at 10:30 am Friday. O’Fallon eliminated Lincoln-Way East in its supersectional on Tuesday.