Scouting the Cook County and Lake County boys volleyball season
Here’s a look at what to expect this spring for boys volleyball teams in Cook and Lake County.
ANTIOCH
The Sequoits were second in the Northern Lake County Conference a year ago and bring back senior Fateen Kokuno, juniors Colin Fisher and Evan Kobb and sophomore Justin Niznik (all-conference).
Newcomers are juniors Oran McGinley and Parker McConnell, sophomores Drew Rosenberg, Liam Hill, Steve Drochik and Noah Rustenmeyer along with freshman Clyde Andrew.
"We have a lot of experience and some young ,competitive players who are eager to play," said 20th-year coach Jamie Atkinson.
BARRINGTON
The Broncos were 24-12 a year ago and champions of the MSL with a 9-1 record. Barrington lost to Libertyville in the sectional semifinals.
Back for Barrington are seniors Denis Kukowski and Robert Jensen (Calvin College) and juniors Matt Kravstav and Garrett Rohlwing, The Broncos add senior Darius Voth, junior John Kane and sophomore Julien Vargas to the roster.
“We have some talented new faces," said coach Charlie Spry. ”The biggest difference is we have a young varsity team. With the realignment the conference it will be more of a challenge."
CARMEL CATHOLIC
The Corsairs suffered through a 7-28 mark and seventh-place finish in the East Suburban Catholic in 2025. They lost to Grayslake Central in the first round of regionals.
The senior-dominated Corsairs are spearheaded by Sebastian Adams, Jack Armstrong, Gavin Barnes, Jacob David, Alex Delgado, Ryan Farlee, Noah Ledesma, Pat Shrofe and
Thomas Smithe. Newcomers include senior Everett Cunningham and Gavin Goodale along with sophomore Kristian Chaddick.
“Marist is the two-time defending state champion and the team to beat in the conference," said coach Kevin Nylen. ”Benet is also a solid team. We were a predominantly junior team. Last season left a bad taste in our mouths. With 13 seniors we have a lot of experience and we have to generate the desire to win. It is a great group of young men who enjoy being around each other."
FREMD
The Vikings were 16-16 overall and 4-6 in the MSL last year and bring back seniors Johnathan Kim, David Otgenbott, Aarav Parikh, Kaden Liao, Aarav Buddhadev and Fred Worst along with juniors David Stankiewicz and Chase Hinojosa and sophomore George Sallade.
Seniors David Koikkaro and Sarem Khan, juniors Finn Chapin, Caleb Chang, Jerry Zhang, Nathan DeAngeledis and Tye Goettsche and sophomore Sarem Khun join the squad.
“We return our entire starting lineup," said coach Tracy Harding. ”We are adding impact players. This group is really focused."
GRANT
The Bulldogs were third in the NLCC a year ago. Returners are seniors Lance Lavajo (all-conference), Cameron King, Angel Madera and Eros Rabor along with junior Evan Sigler (all-conference). Junior Lucas Zarakowski is a newcomer to watch.
"We have a heavy senior roster," said coach JP Gizowski. “We have a heavy senior roster and we have the advantage in the conference because a lot of the other conference schools have graduated many players."
GRAYSLAKE CENTRAL
The Rams, 28-8 a year ago and champions of the NLCC with a perfect 12-0 slate, graduated all their starters.
Returners are seniors Eliel Rezendiz, Antonio Ruelas, Gabe Delphonse and Henry Churchman.
"The NLCC is improving every year," said Rams coach Dan Erlenbaugh. “We want to win the conference championship again. Every match is competitive."
GRAYSLAKE NORTH
The Knights suffered through a 8-27 overall mark, 4-8 in the Northern Lake County, in 2025.
Back for the Knights are seniors Emmanuel Hernandez and Richard Crumble, junior Rees Obaid and sophomores Matt Grisaev, Josh Hercog and Alejandro Romero.
"We are ready for strong competition,“ said coach Nikki Kirchway. ”We have a mix of returning players and talented newcomers. We have a well-rounded roster position to position. We hope to perform at a high level. We are excited to see the talent."
HERSEY
The Huskies were 23-17 overall and 6-4 in the MSL last year, losing to Lake Park in the sectionals. Back for coach Laura Gerber are juniors Kiernan Daly, Oscar Boduck and Sean John.
Seniors Ethan Gries, Yukki Jacobson and Cooper Mullen and juniors Kael Blazek, Andrew Avirmed and Momchil Zhekov join the mix.
"We are looking forward to a competitive season," said coach Laura Gerber. “We had a great season last year and our goal is a sectional championship.”
HOFFMAN ESTATES
The Hawks return senior captain Kuba Scigalski, who had season-ending knee surgery a year ago, four-year starter and captain Spencer Cruz, Ean Nguyen, Alex Ojeda, Tyler Monical, Daniel Gonzales and Enerel Gerelt Od.
“The conference (MSL) is realigned,” said Hoffman Estates coach Delaina Heracklis. “We look to get more wins. We are excited for more diverse opportunities."
LAKES
The Eagles were 14-2 overall and third in the NLCC last year. New coach Kelli Rettig welcomes senior Nathan Pohichnowski and juniors Ben Newcomb and Logan Hughes back from that team while adding seniors Collin Murray and Caleb Eddings, junior Callen Thomas, sophomore Amaree Mason and freshman Devin Phelan.
"We are a very young team (with) a very young coaching staff," said Rettig. “We will have some ups and downs. The conference is competitive top to bottom. We need to put the work in day in and out. We embrace the challenge of building something new. We want this group to develop and rise to the challenge. We emphasize consistency and discipline. We want to have the confidence to take on strong opponents throughout the conference."
LAKE ZURICH
The Bears enjoyed a stellar 2025 season. They were 35-4 overall and 6-1 in the North Suburban good enough for second place, a game behind Libertyville. The Bears won their regional title before losing to New Trier in the sectionals.
Back are senior Andrew Burk, junior Josh Stephen and sophomores Yani Oblakov and Nicola Stanojevic. They will be joined by seniors Viktor Stanojevich and Justin Popa, junior Tom Gryc and sophomores Aiden Abbale, Will Allen and Will Cranston.
"Every match in the conference is extremely difficult," said coach Brett Stuart. “Last season was one of the most successful in school history. We graduated five starters. We expect to compete in every match. The conference is always challenging."
LEYDEN
The Eagles were 15-20 overall and 2-4 in the WSCC Gold last season and return senior Ryan Richmond, a North Park College recruit. Others to watch include juniors Patryk Drwal and Jon Espinoza along with freshmen Pedro Mancha and Mateusz Szymanski.
"We want to be top three in the conference," said Jarosz. “We are rebuilding. We are so young but we want to earn a .500 record."
LIBERTYVILLE
The Wildcats were 31-5 overall and were champions of the North Suburban Conference with a perfect 7-0 slate.
Libertyville beat Grayslake Central in the regional championship before losing to New Trier in the sectionals.
Back for the Wildcats are seniors Nate Knight (two-time all-conference, two-time all-state, Ball State), Lukas Siesers (all-conference), Connor Desiran (Wentworth Institute of Technology), Jackson Kern (three-time all-conference, two-time all-state, UC Irvine) and Braden Moss.
The Wildcats add juniors Chase Burchfield, Colin Waddell, Andrew Hodge, Jackson McKay and Josh Felinczak and sophomore Carter Hawkinson.
“We have four starters back with incredible experience and consistency,” said Libertyville coach Jennifer Smith. “We have great ball control and incredible focus. We have precision accuracy on offense."
MAINE SOUTH
The Hawks were 27-12 a year ago and 6-4 in the CSL South, good for third place.
Back for coach Garrett Fechner are seniors Luke Babich (Benedictine), Daniel Troyan (all-CSL South) and Simon Zwieczyk along with sophomore Gabriel Redzic (all-CSL South).
Junior newcomer Gavin Lapinski seeks playing time.
"We have most of our starting lineup back," said Fechner. “We have a pretty deep team."
MAINE WEST
The Warriors, 31-6 a year ago and champions of the CSL North, are led by all-state junior Adi Kleszewski.
Also back for coach Mike O Brill are seniors Luis Alvarez Perez (all-CSL North), Nick Moraru (all-CSL North), Donovan Brown, Ronan Cusack, Adrian Palarz, Aidan Vega, Nikola Cicic and Izak Hanson.
Juniors Stefan Zaev, Dhruv Patel, Manov Patel and Sean Duffy and sophomore Brendan Martin join the team
"The CSL North is very competitive," said O Brill. “There are many returners in the conference. Five of six teams in the CSL North had 18 wins or more. Every match in the conference typically will be a battle. We have to play with composure and confidence. We had a record-breaking season last year. We won our first CSL North title. We return 12 of 15 players. We have experience and should be able to persevere through high pressure moments. Our schedule is stacked and should prepare us for the postseason."
MUNDELEIN
George Dressen, who has coached the Mustangs the past 25 seasons, will retire after this year. He returns seniors Rance Cruz (two-year all-North Suburban selection), Andrew Jimenez and Daniel Servin along with junior Ian Grandt.
Vying for playing time are newcomers seniors Angel Pelacz and Erick Hernandez, juniors Anthony Tereshkin, Nate Crow, Jordan Rios, Nolan Powell and Ben Kruse and freshman Joe Sweeney.
Mundelein was 4-3 in the NSC last year and won the Grayslake Central Grand Slam, Highland Park tournament, Antioch tournament and Mundelein quad.
"It is a rebuilding year," said Dressen. “We have very few returning talented veterans. We have four returning players who are fast, talented and full of energy. No telling what we may be able to accomplish this season. We want to return to a 20-win season and play well in the state series.”
PALATINE
Coach Joyce Richardson welcomes back seniors Will Santiago (football, St. John, Minn.), Brandon Murga Bartels, Joel Bucsit, Jackson Jones and Jacob Korney, juniors Sam Wang, Logan Brown and David Rusu and sophomore Matt Cebula.
"We are excited to build a team with a lot of athleticism," said Richardson.
ROLLING MEADOWS
Coach Kevin Bourn's troops attempt to improve on a 12-21 overall record and 2-8 mark in the MSL.
Seniors Caleb Pate (College of DuPage) and Richard Peters (St. Ambrose) return along with juniors Ryan Soehn, Intizapata Braun (all-MSL) and Nikodem Opiola.
Newcomers are seniors Yahir Cortes, Allan Ourednik and Martin Ishak, juniors Landon Price and Henry Amos and sophomores JT Cummings and Dan Adam.
"We want to compete for a spot for a conference championship," said Bourn. “We have an extremely young roster but they understand what it takes to win the MSL. We are trying to put it all together to play as a team with a combination of power and finesse. We know what it takes to win in a competitive area. We are eager to get started.”
ROUND LAKE
Coach John Nicoline’s roster includes seniors Eric Banh (captain), Cesar Camacho (captain), Roberto Castenada, Andrew Francisco, Cesar Hernandez, Jermiah Johnson, Jakob Lee, Erick Lopez, Juan Soria and Jason Wells, junior Damian Rodriguez and sophomore Toby Bailey.
SCHAUMBURG
The Saxons, 20-13 a year ago and 7-3 in the MSL West (second place), return seniors Alex Noga, Dylan Ogawa and Izak Lainson along with junior Ryden Mollison to go with junior Aaron Shogren, sophomore Payton Alfini and freshman Frankie Vincent.
“The 2026 season should be a positive step forward for Schaumburg volleyball,” said coach Cory Griffin. “We have a good mix of seniors and talented underclassmen. They are pushing each other in the gym every day in practice. We are looking forward to competing in the tough MSL West. We will see familiar programs like Barrington, Conant and Fremd who are strong teams. Former East teams like Prospect and Hersey will be tough. We want to compete in the tough conference and make a deeper run in the state series more than in recent years.”
STEVENSON
The Patriots were 24-13 a year ago and champions of the Lake County Invitational. Stevenson was 4-3 in the NSC, good for third place. The previous three years the Pats won the NSC undefeated.
Senior Zolbayar Munkhbat, juniors Jatin Marukiti and Evan Headley and sophomore Andy Heifand return to go with juniors Fletcher Scurek, Bill Carr and David Erdentsogt.
“The North Suburban is challenging every week,” said coach Eric Goolish. “We have to take our best shot every Wednesday in April and May in the NSC.
"We want to get into some invite championships. We want to get a high seed and challenge for a sectional championship. We have four quality pillars returning. We should get contributions from newcomers and returning players. We are motivated by the disappointing end of the season. Our players are hungry to make the most of our opportunities and build a special season."
ST VIATOR
Fifth in the East Suburban Catholic Conference last year, the Lions return seniors Jacob Bondy and Tim Dillon along with juniors Cruz Ruiz Mullen, Owen Geroux, Kevin Maciorek and Lucas Roman along with sophomores Nate Gauthier and Tommy Cholewa.
Newcomers are seniors Quinn Kochera and Mike Van Deven, junior Wesley Marshall and sophomores Ethan Collins, Joe Cloud and Blake Stoker.
"We have a balance and mix of varsity experience," said coach Brennan Harrington. “We need others to step into important roles. We want to finish at the top of the ESCC in the last year of the ESCC. We want to be in the mix for the last ESCC title.”
VERNON HILLS
The Cougars suffered through an 8-29 overall slate and were 1-9 in the Central Suburban League North in 2025.
Juniors Aiden Kim and Ryan Glassman return while senior Magundh Thirunavukkarasu is a newcomer to watch.
"We lost 14 three-set matches," said coach Chris Curry, who has 595 wins in 26 years. “We are stronger, better shape and have greater endurance. We are a more fit team. We are a focused team in practice. We are a pretty young team with only two starters back. We understand the work necessary. We have a large group of juniors who are focused to get our play back up to our standards."
WARREN
The Blue Devils were 24-13 overall and 4-3 in the North Suburban Conference a year ago.
Senior Joel Paasch (all-conference, all-state honorable mention), juniors Andrew Cowell, Eddie Chand and Elliott Little and sophomore Kyle Paasch return, joined by seniors Ben Carbol and Will Reinholz, junior Jackson Hurd and sophomore Josh Bicket.
"We lost some tough matches in the conference a year ago," said coach Kim Paasch. “We have more experience and expect to win the tough matches this season. We are excited to have some varsity returners. We have improved in the off-season. We hope the newcomers step up and make a impact."