Boys volleyball: Lake Park thrives down the stretch, ousts Schaumburg in sectional final

The Notre Dame boys volleyball sectional final between Schaumburg and Lake Park was the rubber match that placed a cap on the trio of meetings they had this season.

The Lancers had beaten the Saxons at home on April 6 while Schaumburg defeated them at the Glenbard East Invite 5 days later.

Now each squad tried to find the magic formula Tuesday evening to earn a sectional title and an accompanying invite to this weekend's state finals.

After both teams split the first two sets, it came down to the decisive third set at the Don Dome for all the marbles.

That third set saw the No. 4 seed Lancers have a few more than the second-seeded Saxons to emerge from Niles as 25-20, 22-25, 25-22 winners to gain their second straight rectangular plaque and ninth in school history.

Lake Park (27-13) will move on to Friday's 1 p.m. quarterfinal against Oak Park (31-5-1) a 25-21, 26-24 winner over Brother Rice (28-12) at the Argo sectional in Summit Tuesday.

"The whole team felt like that we were going to win that game. We were going to be the team that scores first (and) the team that emerges on top and goes to state," Lancers senior middle hitter Nolan Cocat said of his squad's approach to the decisive set.

It was a set that like games one and two went back and forth and was even at 17 until Lake Park broke the stalemate with a 6-2 surge that featured 2 of senior outside hitter Ethan Schnabel's team-high 12 kills that put Lake Park in control 23-19.

Schaumburg (31-5) would not go away quietly as 2 of 6-foot-6 freshman Frankie Vincent's game-high 17 kills pulled them within 24-22 before match point came on a serve by the Saxons that went out of bounds.

Cocat, a Purdue-Ft. Wayne recruit, finished with 9 kills, 5 blocks, and a pair of digs while sophomore OH Jake Ellenbecker had a team-high 11 assists for a Lake Park unit that has won 17 of their last 21.

Lancers mentor Brian Fischer cites the beginnings of that run as where things began to come together for his team.

"We knew this group had the talent. We've been battle-tested and as a group they put themselves out and showed their fight."

Junior Aaron Shogren's game-high 20 assists paced the Schaumburg effort along with junior teammates Ryden Mollison who joined sophomores Peyton Alfini and Charlie Mounts with 6 kills apiece as their 24-game win streak came to an end.

Despite that end, the Saxons had arguably one of their successful seasons in program history as it won both Mid-Suburban League divisional and conference crowns since 1998 and a regional title for the first time since 2010.

A point that their coach Cory Griffin wants them to remember.

'I told them to take some time for themselves and when they start healing to think about those things," Griffin said.

"They've been an extremely humble, hard-working group, The younger core is amazing. They care about Schaumburg volleyball. Hopefully, we'll be back here next year."