Boys volleyball: Glenbard West wins pair of 3-set thrillers to claim 6th state title in 11 years

‘Never say die’ was the rallying cry for Glenbard West Saturday at the volleyball state finals in Bolingbrook.

And speaking of rallies, the Hilltoppers came up with a couple of great ones.

In their 10 a.m. semifinal match against Libertyville, Glenbard West rebounded from one set down to defeat Libertyville, 26-28, 27-25, 25-19.

Then in the championship match, they had to come back from a deficit midway through set three to win the state title with a 25-19, 22-25, 25-20 victory over Oak Park-River Forest.

It was the sixth state title win in the last 11 years for the Hilltoppers, all under coach Christine Giunta-Mayer.

“Just so exciting,” said Glenbard West sophomore setter Justin Iarrobino. “We put in so much work during the season, four hour practices to start the year and now it just feels so great.”

Classmate Jack Belda, a 6-foot-5 middle blocker, is in his first season on varsity and said his teammates made him “feel like I fit right in.”

“This is so awesome,” Belda said. “I never expected to be here, and now I’ve got two more years left.”

It was the fourth time Oak Park-River Forest appeared in the championship match, but the first time since 1998. The Huskies have finished runner-up each time.

“I’m just so proud of all the boys,” said Oak Park-River Forest junior Nathan Kane. “I love them so much, and they’re like my brothers.

“We’ve gone through this season together, and it’s amazing that at the same time I have my brothers playing with me, I’ve also got my own support system. Our coaches have been telling us that the program hasn’t been here in 30 years, but we’ve got a lot of grit and a lot of determination.

“There was no doubt in my mind that we were going to fight tooth and nail to the very end.”

After the teams traded wins in the first two sets, the Huskies grabbed a 14-12 lead in the deciding game.

Then the Hilltoppers (40-2) responded with a 5-point run, led by the hitting of senior middle blocker Otis Yahn, to take control.

Oak Park-River Forest crept to within 22-20 late, but Glenbard West closed out the match with kills by Tommy Clifford and Ian Hoster, then a Huskies attempt that hit the antenna.

Lukas Wallin and Christian Cudzilo led the Hilltoppers on attack in the championship win with 10 kills apiece.

Iarrobino had 16 assists, teammate Andrew Fanella earned 15 helpers, while senior libero Brendan Markey led the way on defense with 14 digs.

“Our team is all in, no matter what,” said Markey. “We learned a lot about ourselves in that game (against Libertyville in the semis). We just fight the whole time, no matter what. We’re young, we’re fighters, and we’ve got nothing to lose.

“That’s what this season has been about.”

In the third place match, Libertyville fell to Marist, 25-21, 25-18.

Seniors Braden Moss and Nate Knight excelled in the tourney for the Wildcats. Moss had 33 kills, while Knight hit 29.

Setter Andrew Hodge had 87 assists over three matches.