Epic success for Buffalo Grove; proud exit for Vernon Hills

Buffalo Grove boys volleyball coach Matt Aiello had a fitting description of senior captain Mike Jambrone on Tuesday night.

"He lives and breathes Bison volleyball," Aiello said after an epic Palatine sectional championship match against Vernon Hills.

Twice in a tense and drama-filled third game, Jambrone kept the Bison alive with season-saving kills. Two more put them in position for a third straight trip to the Elite Eight.

And junior Chris Shanahan delivered the kill that brought the marathon to an end as top-seeded BG (30-5) survived with a 25-22, 23-25, 35-33 victory over No. 3 Vernon Hills (35-4).

"It was definitely a relief and definitely excitement," Jambrone said after finishing with 14 kills. "We've been downstate twice and we've come up short twice. We want this to be the year."

BG gets a chance to avenge last year's state semifinal loss in Friday's 5 p.m. quarterfinal at Hoffman Estates against Maine South (39-0), which beat Glenbrook North 25-18, 25-22 for the Evanston sectional title.

Jambrone, senior Nick Baronti (17 kills) and Shanahan were part of teams that finished third last year and second two years ago.

"We know how to stay calm in pressure situations," Jambrone said.

"It was really intense," the 6-foot-9 Baronti said after the Bison won their seventh sectional title. "When it came down to them serving for match point it was really a situation where we had to stay together. That's all it comes down to."

BG's 20-12 lead in the first game was the biggest of a match where the total points (163) tied the mark set by Libertyville and Carmel in 2006, according to IHSA records.

The 83 points by BG were second-most in a match to Libertyville's 85 (2006) and the 35 in the final game is tied for third behind Hinsdale Central's 38 in 2008.

"To be at 35 with neither team giving in is a testament to both teams," Aiello said.

"I don't think our guys ever lacked for confidence that we could play with this team," said Vernon Hills coach Chris Curry after the program's first trip to a sectional final. "There was never a sense of awe."

Even after BG came back from trailing most of Game 2 to lead 21-20. Sophomores Thomas Robinson (11 kills) and Martin Niemczewski (7 kills) and senior Pat Stone (12 kills) responded to put the Cougars in a third game.

"In the first game we made a lot of mistakes," said Vernon Hills senior Spencer Raak, who had 17 digs. "After coming back we knew this was a beatable team and it was possible."

Even when BG opened a 10-6 lead as the Cougars refused to go away quietly.

Consecutive kills by Mike Robinson, who had five of his seven in Game 3, tied it at 21-21. After BG served long for match point, the Cougars suddenly were in position for their first trip to state on Stone's kill.

"We had to believe in each other," Baronti said after BG took a timeout trailing 26-25. "Every single point we had to believe in each other."

Jambrone stepped up the first two times BG's season was on the line.

"My team needed me," Jambrone said. "I wasn't about to let them lose. We've worked too hard."

Now there was no margin for error on either side as juniors Lukas Karch of BG (42 assists) and Justin Opitz (36 assists) of Vernon Hills tried to set up the celebratory kill.

BG fended off two more season-ending points. Vernon Hills did the same three times behind the Robinsons and Stone's block of Baronti.

But two points later, BG finally was able to exhale.

"If this was the way to end it, this was a good way to go out swinging," Raak said. "They're a tough team and we all left it out on the floor at the end."