Boys volleyball: Fear propels Glenbard West past Elk Grove
Fear took hold of Glenbard West's boys volleyball players at the start of Wednesday's second game, and that was a problem for Elk Grove.
Finding a new level of energy, the defending state champion Hilltoppers won the first six points of Game 2 to finish off a 25-14, 25-10 nonconference victory in Glen Ellyn.
The victory gave the Hilltoppers (20-0) their sixth consecutive 20-win season. They have yet to go to three games in a match this spring, and they wanted to keep it that way against the Grenadiers.
"We have some incredible senior leadership that have memories of losing and winning and what needs to be done in order to get to that point," Hilltoppers coach Christine Giunta-Mayer said. "I talk about it every day. What do we do if we continue to keep climbing? Can we keep this up? They do think about it, and I think the thought of it gives them a little fear. Fear is good, because we came out today a little flat and we just said, we can't do that. We have to come out strong all the time, and Game 2 was pretty much what we do when we're feeling the emotion."
"It's hard sometimes," Hilltoppers junior Sean Farmer said of the team's streak of two-game wins. "I like it. It shows we're consistent. Our coach says we're the one team in the state that's been consistent all year, just winning every set. But once we get to the state playoffs, there's going to be games we're going to be losing, and we're going to need to have that experience to come from behind. So there's positives and negatives to go with it."
Glenbard West was good in the first game, but it found a new level for the second. Kyler Kotsakis got it started with an emphatic kill, then combined with Will Church on a block-kill and followed with another kill. Before long Glenbard West led 14-2.
"We were dug a hole early and then I started putting other kids in. But I like the way they fought at the end when the benches both came in. It was nice," Grenadiers coach Dan Windholz said.
The Hilltoppers led 24-5, but Elk Grove reeled off five straight points before Glenbard West ended the match.
"Paul (Bischoff) and Kyler just kind of served them off the court, kept them out of system," Farmer added. "If they got it over the net, it was a pretty decent ball to get back."
That Game 2 surge of energy was a sign of the Hilltoppers' respect for Elk Grove (4-10).
"You don't have to fear a player, but you must respect every opponent," Giunta-Mayer said. "We have been talking about that a lot, and they have been doing that. I'm really proud of them for that. They really do respect everybody that's on the floor, and it's keeping us humble and it's keeping us grounded."
And it's keeping the Hilltoppers winning.
Follow Orrin on Twitter @Orrin_Schwarz