Vernon Hills wins Maine East’s invitational

Vernon Hills’ boys volleyball team is picking up where it left off last spring.

The Cougars won the Maine East invitational Saturday by going 5-0.

Vernon Hills, which won 35 matches last season, improved to 6-1. The Cougars defeated Elgin (25-12, 25-20), Niles West (25-13, 25-13), Lakes (25-15, 25-13), St. Patrick (25-21, 25-13) and Maine East (25-9, 25-20).

Thomas Robinson slammed 35 kills, served 4 aces and recorded 33 digs for the Cougars. Martin Niemczewski added 20 kills, while Mikey Kelly (16), Garrett Kubacki (15), David Swanson (11) and setter Justin Opitz (11) also recorded double-digit kill totals.

Swanson delivered 12 aces, while Kubacki and Opitz had nine and seven, respectively.

Kubacki had a team-best 10 blocks, and Opitz lofted 95 assists (193 of 198).

Kubacki also led the Cougars with 64 digs. Swanson recorded 58, and Robbie Appelbaum added 41.

“This was a good chance to let all the kids on the roster get out and show what they good do in different combinations,” coach Chris Curry said. “Joseph Ho made some real nice improvement in his timing. ... Justin Opitz kept everyone involved, even with all the different combinations and lineups I threw at him.

“The best day from an all-around perspective was Garrett Kubacki. He kept everything light and played great defense. The seniors are showing some nice leadership. That’s what we were missing most on Opening Night (a 22-25, 20-25 loss to Glenbrook South).”