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Boys volleyball: Schnittker, Carroll co-captain Northwest all-area team

Barrington's Ethan Carroll and Buffalo Grove's Zach Schnittker have been friendly rivals for the past few years in high school and club volleyball.

This coming fall, they're going to put the rivalry behind them and team up.

Schnittker and Carroll will both enroll at McKendree University in downstate Lebanon, Ill., where they'll become integral parts of the Bearcats' successful volleyball program, and the plan is for them to room together as well.

Despite the fact that they've have never been part of the same team, the two share a very significant accomplishment.

Carroll was voted Mid-Suburban West Division player of the year this season in leading his Broncos to a 10-0 mark in conference play, while Schnittker was named MSL East player of the year, also guiding the Bison to a perfect divisional mark.

Their stellar play on the court, as well as their off the court accomplishments, presence, demeanor and leadership skills have led them to a co-captainship for this year's Northwest boys volleyball all-area squad.

Schnittker, a setter, made his final prep season a spectacular one, finishing with 880 assists, serving 359-of-388 with 27 aces, hitting 227 kills and 40 block kills.

Carroll's year was no less formidable, as he excelled as an all-around player with 174 kills and a passing average of 2.35 along with 64 blocks, 176 digs and 16 aces.

"Ethan has matured immensely as a player this year," said Barrington coach Rob Ridenour of the outside hitter. "He became our most important piece. He was dominant as a pin block, was our best defender, and passed about fifty percent of the court for us. Offensively, he hit the right shot consistently and was the glue that held us together."

BG coach Tim Kosiek was no less effusive in his praise for Schnittker.

"Zach brought a tremendous amount of experience, skill and talent to our team," said Kosiek, who watched his setter propel the Bison to the MSL championship each of the last two seasons. "More importantly, though, Zach demonstrated great leadership with his patience and encouragement as he supported his hitters and led our offense. He worked hard, kept his focus and made extraordinary contributions in key moments of big matches."

Schnittker, who along with Carroll plans to study business at McKendree, was most excited about this season not because of his personal accomplishments, but instead in the those of his team.

"We were fairly inexperienced coming into the year," said Schnittker, "but we really improved as the season went along. We started slow but we went on a 22-1 streak. We had a good run and I couldn't be prouder of my teammates. It was exciting to see how much we grew as a team."

Carroll echoed those sentiments, saying that the best part of his final year as a Barrington volleyball standout were the partnerships he made not only on the court but in the classroom as well.

"I'm going to miss all these guys," said Carroll of his volleyball teammates, "and this year I think I made more meaningful relationships with my teachers than any year before. Barrington is a great school to prepare you for college."

"It's a perfect fit for me," said Carroll of McKendree. "I love the school, the coaches and the team, and it's not too far away. "

Schnittker said that it's finally kicking in that he's graduated and going on to another stage of his life, and is happy that his final year of high school turned out like it did, both in his studies and his athletic endeavors.

"Since it was my final season," said the setter, "I wanted to leave it all out on the court and I think I did that. I graduated with honors, which was important to me, and I was proud of winning the player of the year award but I can't stress enough how I couldn't have done it without the support of my teammates."

"I was honored," said Carroll of his West player of the year recognition, "especially with the huge competition (in the division). It was kind of a surprise to be honest - I didn't even realize I was nominated."

Now the first year of college is fast approaching for the soon-to-be teammates, a bittersweet but joyful time, and their legacies at BG and Barrington won't soon be forgotten.

"I'm grateful for his leadership," said Kosiek of Schnittker. "He continually provided our team with opportunities to be successful. He kept blockers guessing all year with his ability to dump, attack and set."

"As a coaching staff, we are very proud of the player and person that Ethan has become," said Ridenour of the 6-foot-8 Carroll. "He was a kid that played his best in big matches and we will definitely miss his leadership and skill set next year."

Carroll and Schnittker will be off to Lebanon sometime in Mid-August to matriculate, and both plan to play a lot of volleyball, including beach volleyball, over the summer until that day arrives.

"I'm sure I'm going to be making a lot of new friends (at McKendree), said Carroll. "I'm really looking forward to it."

And when asked about what he's going to do when he arrives, Schnittker had an emphatic answer

"Get on the court as soon as possible. I'm going to have a lot different of a role than I did in high school, but I'm just going to keep working hard."

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