Vernon Hills wins own invite
Vernon Hills went 5-0 at the Vernon Hills Invite, capping of its run with a win over Glenbard West in the championship, 25-23, 31-29.
The invitational championship is the second straight for Vernon Hills and the fifth in six years.
The Cougars, who also defeated Whitney Young (25-13, 25-15), Glenbrook South (25-14, 25-19), Illiana Christian (25-14, 25-14) and Highland Park (25-17, 25-22), improve to 29-4 on the season.
Martin Niemczewski led Vernon Hills with 39 kills over the five matches, followed by Thomas Robinson and Mikey Kelly, who finished with 35 and 33 kills respectively.
“Mikey Kelly had a tremendous tournament, coming back strong several times when we were down late in sets,” Vernon Hills coach Chris Curry said. “His hitting was fearless when we were facing set point a few times versus Glenbard West.”
Setter Justin Opitz racked up 108 assists and also had 9 blocks (tying Joseph Ho for team-high) and 6 service aces (tying Niemczewski for team-high). Meanwhile, David Swanson led the Cougars with 42 digs.
“For a bunch of guys thinking all day about heading off to Prom, they played with great intensity and decent focus,” Curry said.