Opitz assists in Vernon Hills’ big season
The shot at winning an IHSA state championship was gone. The Vernon Hills High School boys volleyball team had dropped a pair of tough games to Naperville North in the semifinals on Saturday.
For setter Justin Opitz, it was a disappointment.
But it was also an opportunity, as Vernon Hills got to play in the third-place match.
“We knew it was our last match,’’ Opitz said. “And only two teams finish with a win, so why not play like we can?”
There was another motivating force working for Opitz. If the Cougars stopped Glenbard West to take third place, he would finish his volleyball career with exactly 100 victories.
This was not a player who burst upon the scene as a freshman. He and his Cougars chalked up those 100 wins in three seasons. Opitz, the 6-feet-4 senior, entered the Elite Eight in Hoffman Estates as the setter with the most assists in the state tournament (937).
For helping his Cougars to their first state appearance in school history, Opitz is the honorary captain of the Daily Herald’s Lake County All-Area boys volleyball team.
Opitz’s career mark of 2,218 assists is a school record and puts him in 13th place in state history. His .466 setting percentage is also a school record.
All from a player who entered high school as a middle hitter.
“Justin’s great contribution to our program is that his move to setter as a freshman allowed us to put all the other players in place around him,’’ said Vernon Hills coach Chris Curry. “He came to high school as a middle hitter, but we loved his athleticism, his hands, and his footwork, and we convinced him to give setting a try.”
This talented player didn’t really start his volleyball career until high school.
“I didn’t start playing club until I was 16,’’ Opitz said. “And I started setting towards the end of my freshman year. I loved have that feeling of control. Essentially, I was the quarterback of the team.”
Naturally, Curry was delighted to see this player settle in at setter.
“A lot of younger players don’t want to set because they don’t see it as the glamour position,’’ Curry said. “Justin understood that he could be in the middle of all the plays and that we’d be a lot better off that way. A team of hitters with no creativity or skill at setter isn’t much fun to watch.”
As a junior, Opitz set a club that won 34 matches. Only a very strong Buffalo Grove squad sent the Cougars home in an epic three-game struggle.
The rematch between these two heavyweights took place in the Warren sectional on May 27. The Cougars prevailed 25-18, 18-25, 25-18.
“Coming into that match, I knew our players remembered last year,’’ Opitz said. “We really wanted to go get them this year.”
Opitz’s dream of making it to state came true when his team topped neighboring Libertyville in the sectional title match.
“At the beginning of the year, I thought we might have a shot at it,’’ he said. “But then we lost three or four matches in a row. And then we went on a 23-game winning streak.’’
Opitz entertained some college offers to play volleyball. Instead, he’ll study civil engineering at Iowa State and give club volleyball a shot.
In the meantime, his decision to play setter brought many wins to the Vernon Hills program.
“For him to accomplish what he did in three years on the varsity after only a year’s worth of setting experience (9th grade) is fairly remarkable,’’ Curry said. “And, I’d guess, unprecedented.”