Boys volleyball: Libertyville shakes off slow start, sweeps Lake Zurich
Experience paid off in a big way for Libertyville Wednesday night at Lake Zurich.
Led by seniors Lukas Slesers, Nate Knight and Jackson Kern, the Wildcats shook off some early hitting woes to score a 25-21, 25-16 North Suburban Conference boys volleyball win.
The visitors made 14 errors in the first set but ultimately came away with the win; then they flipped the script in the second set, running out to a 16-4 lead en route to the victory.
“I think we did a nice job coming out with the game plan,” said Kern, a libero who will play after graduation at University of California, Irvine.
“Our Andrew Hodge (a junior setter) did a good job of getting the offense going, and we had some really good connections tonight. We definitely missed some early but showed a lot of grit, and a lot of passion for the game."
Libertyville lists five seniors on their roster, while Lake Zurich has only two upperclassmen. The Bears have five sophomores and a pair of juniors completing the lineup.
Lake Zurich coach Brett Stuart made a note of that after all was said and done, but liked the way his team fought back late in the game.
“We’re definitely the younger team of the two,” said Stuart, “and we played really well in the first set. Then we competed at the end of the second set, but we just needed a more consistent effort.
“They (the Wildcats) are extremely strong and we knew that coming in. I think that the positives are tonight that even though we have three or four sophomores on the court at certain times, the kids have the mindset that they can compete with a team like Libertyville, who will be one of the top teams in the state.”
The first set went back and forth, with neither team taking an advantage until a kill by Libertyville senior outside hitter Braden Moss saw the Wildcats take a 20-17 lead.
Lake Zurich rallied to get within 21-20. Then some superior blocking from Knight and a final kill from Slesers handed set one to Libertyville.
The Wildcats (6-0, 2-0) scored the first five points of the second set and took a 12-point advantage at 16-4 midway through, but Lake Zurich (4-3, 1-1) wasn’t done.
They mounted a stirring comeback, closing to within 22-16 late after kills by Joshua Stephen and Thomas Gryc and consecutive aces from sophomore Will Cranstoun, the latter of which just tipped over the net.
But they couldn’t get any closer, and Libertyville closed out the match on a shared block kill by Jackson McKay and Colin Waddell.
Slesers led the Wildcats in kills with 7 while Knight had 6 kills and 8 blocks. Hodge pitched in with 20 assists, while Kern paced the team on defense with 8 digs.
“I like the way the boys bounced back tonight,” said Libertyville coach Jenny Smith. “We showed a little bit of how we’re capable of playing when we’re locked in and focused.
“I think we blocked well, and our first contact was excellent as usual. That kind of keeps us in games, which is great."