St. Charles North sweeps Geneva
It’s tough being the new kid on the block, especially when you’re a first-year varsity team facing a talented, experienced opponent their home floor.
That’s the situation Geneva’s boys volleyball squad found itself in Tuesday night at St. Charles North.
Coming off a tough loss to St. Francis, the North Stars dominated the opening game, but the Vikings found their groove in Game 2, forcing their hosts to earn the 25-7, 25-16 win.
Steve Swanson (11 assists) got the North Stars rolling, setting up Brandon Hoerner for the first point in the match.
“Coach told us before the game that we had to get off to a good start and play to our level,” Swanson said. “We did a good job of that tonight.”
Swanson then served the next 10 points, including the first of his 2 aces, to stake his team to an 11-0 cushion.
“(Swanson) is my go-to guy, and he had a great night,” St. Charles North coach Todd Weimer said.
After a strong kill by Adam Lynch got the Vikings on the board, they scored four more in a row.
But 11-5 was as close as Geneva could get, as the North Stars reasserted their net dominance and quickly opened 23-5 lead.
“It all starts with passing, and our serve receive was great today,” St. Charles North’s Pat Donlevy, who had 6 kills in the match, said. “Guys were finding the right spots on the floor and hitting it where it needed to be.”
With virtually no chance of winning the first game, the Vikings scored the next 2 points, before St. Charles North’s Sean Donlevy closed it out. The effort impressed Geneva coach KC Johnsen, and proved to be a sign of what was to come.
“We wanted to play the way we’re capable of and make (St. Charles North) earn their points,” Johnsen said.
When the North Stars took a 2-0 lead to start Game 2 it looked like a replay of the opener. But thanks to a pair of miscues and a solid kill by Brett Quillen, the Vikings scored 4 straight to take a 2-point lead.
“These guys are fierce competitors,” Johnsen said. “They didn’t totally shut down and let the match get away. They got better as the match went on.”
Nick Caruso took charge of the Geneva side of the floor, hammering 2 of his 4 kills to help the Vikings to an 11-9 lead.
“We got reenergized and focused on our fundamentals,” Caruso said. “It was night and day compared to the first game.”
But just when it looked like the Vikings might have a shot, a pair of errors followed by a Pat Donlevy kill put the North Stars up for good, 12-11.
“We switched up a lot of things in Game 2, so there are no concerns there for us,” Weimer said. “I’m very happy with our guys, they’re interchangeable and can play a lot of different positions.”
In the end, both teams got what they needed out the match. The North Stars (6-5, 2-0) walked off with an impressive win over an Upstate Eight Conference opponent, while the Vikings (0-5, 0-2) took another step in the right direction.
“We literary learn something every day,” Johnsen said. “Sometimes we learn the easy way, and sometimes we learn the hard way.”