St. Charles E. sweeps Geneva
K.C. Johnson has been around the sport of volleyball for almost four decades, and he was ever the realist regarding expectations for the inaugural boys campaign at Geneva.
“This is literally the seventh (competitive) volleyball game of their lives,” Johnson said after St. Charles East had few problems in turning back the Vikings 25-9 and 25-15 Tuesday night in Upstate Eight River action in Geneva. “We don’t want the boys to get too frustrated.”
St. Charles East senior Josh Carnell triggered a 9-0 run when he followed an Angel Gentchev kill with a monster block for back-to-back points.
“I think that block gave us a lot of momentum,” said St. Charles East senior setter Chase Reed, who had 4 of his match-high 15 assists during the Saints’ burst that increased their first-game lead to 12-2. “We all knew we had to put the ball away like Josh did (on his subsequent kill).”
Keaton O’Connor served 8 straight points, also highlighted by consecutive kills from Imran Hasan, to frame the unanswered run.
Nick Caruso had a kill to end the Saints’ run, but the Vikings (0-7, 0-3) were only able to close to within single-digits on one occasion the remainder of the first game.
Reed had an ace to extend the Saints’ cushion to 19-7, and the first game was in the books moments later with Clayton Davis’ pair of aces, including the game-clincher, providing the basis of a final 5-point run.
“Volleyball is a game of runs and momentum,” Johnson said. “We don’t want to accept too slow of a learning curve.”
The Saints improved to 10-13 overall and unblemished in league play with their third straight conference win.
“We basically all feed off each other,” said Carnell, who had a team-high 5 kills for St. Charles East. “I think we’re getting better. We’re stepping up as a team instead of as individuals.”
Geneva solidified its play early in the second game, using the play of Adam Lynch and Caruso to score 6 of the first 9 points.
But St. Charles East went on an 8-1 run to seize control.
Carnell had a pair of kills during the run, and Josh Kreiner had a jump-serve ace to provide the Saints with a 14-9 lead.
St. Charles East methodically created separation, and Hasan ended the second game in the same fashion as David did the first: an ace.
It proved to be the Saints’ largest second-game lead.
“We’ve used (the notion of growing pains) as a challenge to the guys,” Johnson said. “We don’t want to settle for that as an excuse.”