Sweet title for Barrington

Twenty-four was the magic number for Barrington's boys volleyball team Saturday.

That's because junior outside hitter Ethan Carroll owes his running mates 24 doughnuts.

The "punishment" was orchestrated by junior outside hitter Joe Roeckell, mostly because of Carroll's serve late in the opening game of the championship match against Loyola. The serve flailed underneath the net.

"Bad toss, I guess," Carroll said with a smile.

Carroll won't mind buying a couple of dozen doughnuts for his teammates given that he was a big reason Barrington went 5-0 in the inaugural Vernon Hills/Barrington invitational.

"I can handle it and will buy (doughnuts) every time, as long as we win," Carroll said after pounding 11 kills in the Broncos' 25-15, 25-21 victory over Loyola in the championship match. "This was a great start to the season. We had a lot of fun out there. Our height was a big advantage."

With Barrington (5-0 overall) leading Loyola 24-18, Carroll slammed a monstrous kill, which was his 44th in the two-day tournament.

Besides Carroll, who stands 6 feet 7, senior opposite hitter Justin Glader, junior outside hitter Adam Glader and sophomore middle hitter Josh Babicz are all over 6-3. They gave Loyola fits at the net, whether it be blocking or smashing the ball.

"We were physical and got the blocks in the right spots," Barrington coach Rob Ridenour said. "And when we pass, we're pretty good. We need to keep improving our decision-making with picking the right opportunities. That's one of the big keys for us."

Adam Glader had 8 kills in the title match and 27 overall, while his brother Justin finished with 6 kills against Loyola and 24 overall. Senior setter Noah Ricchetti, who dished out 111 assists in the tournament, used his 6-3 frame to collect 2 blocks against Loyola and six in the tourney.

"He's an experienced setter who really puts us in a good situation," said Ridenour.

Sophomore opposite hitter Mike Stefan helped showcase the Broncos hustle by collecting 12 digs to go along with 2 service aces in the final match.

Host Vernon Hills turned in a good tournament, finishing third with a 3-2 record.

Coach Chris Curry liked what he witnessed over the five games, especially the Cougars' 24-24, 25-18 win over Brother Rice in the third-place match.

"We had some glaring problems in our semifinal loss to Barrington," Curry said. "But we fixed some of the technical problems, and I was much happier with our performance in that last match."

For the tournament, Vernon Hills senior outside hitter senior Dylan Deboer, who will play at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point next year, tallied 32 kills and 34 digs and was 42-of-49 serving with 7 aces. Ball-State-bound senior middle hitter Lem Turner added 29 kills and 10 blocks. Cougars junior outside hitter Johnny McDonald had 14 kills and 4 service aces, senior middle hitter Ian Thoren was 12-of-16 hitting with 6 kills. Senior outside hitter Alon Polischuk added 33 digs and 2 service aces.

Vernon Hills' hitters got their opportunities largely because of the setting of senior Cory Levin, who 121 of 134 with 48 assists. Junior setter/outside hitter Jared Bennett dished out 38 assists to go along with 21 kills and 18 digs.

'This was a great test for us and a great way to open the season against some really strong competition," said Curry, whose 4-2 Cougars defeated Prospect and Naperville North and fell to Loyola in pool play. "It helps us get better and realize where we stand."