Boys volleyball: Downers Grove North takes down WW South
Consider Downers Grove North's tour of Wheaton boys volleyball teams a tour de force.
A day after surprising No. 7 seed St. Francis, the Trojans, seeded 10th, upset No. 2 Wheaton Warrenville South 25-21, 25-20 to win the St. Francis regional championship Wednesday night.
"We just wanted a clean sweep of Wheaton, I guess," Downers North senior setter Ben Goodell said.
To the Trojans it wasn't really an upset.
"This sectional is so deep that when we voted for the rankings we were 15-10 and had played a real tough stretch at the Lincoln-Way East tournament and it helped us grow," Trojans coach Mark Wasik said. "I knew we were better than our seed."
The Trojans (25-13) started the match with a lot of energy and jumped out to a 10-3 lead in Game 1. The Tigers could get no closer than 2 points the rest of the game.
"We really were just thinking we had nothing to lose," Goodell said. "We were a 10 seed, they were a 2 seed, so we expected to lose, so we thought, what the heck, lets come out guns blazing."
The Tigers, by contrast, appeared stiff and lacking confidence.
"Downers North played very relaxed and we played tight, which we can try to offset that as much as we can, it still comes down to the fact that you have to do it out on the court," Tigers coach Bill Schreier said.
The Tigers (29-8) never led in the first game. Their biggest lead in Game 2 was 8-6.
"We just couldn't really grab control of the momentum," Schreier said. "We played so hard to get into that position and then all of a sudden we make a bad play, have a hitting error at an inopportune time for us to misfire on things, and that just throws off any momentum we were trying to build off."
The Trojans' defense played a big role in their victory. Matthew Hopkins had 12 digs and Jason Zyck added 7.
"Their No. 6 (Zack Meyer) for Wheaton South, he's their guy," Wasik said, "and he doesn't always generate kills with a crush. He can roll, tip, he can place the ball. So it was important for our guys to be ready for that. There are times when he goes for the kill we let him have it and make sure he doesn't beat us with the other stuff. And that's what we did tonight."
The Trojans won't be the only surprise team at the Glenbard West sectional semifinals on Friday night. No. 12 Neuqua Valley upset No. 4 West Aurora 25-23, 17-25, 25-22 a day after defeating No. 5 Benet in three games at the Benet regional.
The Trojans will play cross-town rival Downers Grove South for the third time this season, looking for their first win this year against the Mustangs.