Boys volleyball: Northwest all-area team

Scott Baackes ProspectThe player known as "Scotty B" to teammates and fans alike had a stellar season for the Knights with 675 assists. "Scotty rose to the occasion," said Prospect coach Peter King. "He exceeded expectations and set the bar high for the next setter to come through our program." The senior added 14 aces to his stat line, to go along with 55 kills, 320 blocks and 160 digs. "He was a leader on and off the court," added King. "Scotty is the type of player that takes everything to heart, and he will do everything and anything for his teammates - he's a true leader."

Josh Babicz BarringtonBabicz battled all year in the middle for the Broncos, leading them to a undefeated mark in the Mid-Suburban West. "It is truly amazing what Josh does as a volleyball player," said Broncos coach Rob Ridenour. "He has turned into a dominant offensive player this year, leading our team in kills while improving his blocking to an elite level." Ridenour is extremely happy that Babicz returns for another season. "He will be the centerpiece for us next year," said the coach. "We're lucky to have him back". Babicz hit a a .468 percentage with 191 kills and 91 blocks.

Liam Benson ProspectBenson bested most of his adversaries in 2016 with his 94 percent serve percentage and 275 kills. "Liam has proven that he's able to excel in more than one position," said Knights coach Peter King. "He led our defense alongside our sophomore libero and made an impact in every match we played this season. He's a competitor and that was evident in the fact that no matter what the score was, he played at a high level." Benson switched to the outside this year but still excelled defensively with 240 digs, and passed a 2.10 on serve receive.

Jake Boldog PalatineCan you say 726? That's how many assists this senior handed out to his hitters in a monster final season. Boldog also dominated at the net with his wicked jump-serve, leading the Pirates to many consecutive point runs over the course of the year. "Jake was a great player for three years on varsity," said Palatine coach Frank Stark, "and I've been very lucky to have this talented and committed setter come through the program."

Angelo Coniglio HerseyWhen Coniglio was on, he could change the course of any match for the Huskies - and he was on fire for most of the season. "He's been a fixture for our team for three years," said Hersey coach Nancy Lill. "I am sure opponents will be happy to see him go." Coniglio made his final campaign a spectacular one with 338 kills, a .285 hitting efficiency mark, 53 blocks, 175 digs, and a 2.35 serve receive ratio. "Angelo could do it all," added Lill. "He's had an outstanding career and will be hard to replace."

Daniel Ham Hoffman EstatesHam did it all for the Hawks in 2016, and the junior was so well respected by his peers this season that they unamimously voted him team captain. "Daniel's character on and off the court is outstanding," said Hoffman coach Dan Hutton. "He was a leader in all phases of the game and was there for all of his teammates." Ham was also a leader on offense and defense for the Hawks, getting 258 digs, standing out with an 89 percent serve efficiency, and finishing with 23 aces on the year.

Max Hogan St. ViatorHogan was nothing short of a hero for the Lions in 2016. Leading his team to one of its best seasons in recent memory, Hogan put down 207 kills, had a .408 hitting percentage, had 29 aces and 59 solo blocks. "Max is a workhorse," said St. Viator coach Chris Boylan. "He was the first in the gym and the last to leave both the weight room and the court. His athleticism makes him a very dangerous player in the front row, and he can attack from any position. His awareness on defense makes Max one of the best two-way players I've ever had."

Justin Hong HerseyAnother of the Mid-Suburban League's superlative defenders, Hong exceeded all expectations for the Huskies this season. "He brought great energy," said Hersey coach Nancy Lill. "His defense frustrated many hitters this year, and his jump serve was a weapon which won several games this season. He's been one of the best ever at Hersey." Hong had a 2.53 serve receive ratio and added 434 digs. "The good news for us is," added Lill, "that he'll be back next year."

Matt Hopkins HerseyA player with unbelievable skills and determination at the net, Hopkins dominated at times in 2016 by hammering 211 kills. The junior also earned 82 block kills and excelled at the service line as a 94 percent server with 20 aces. "Teams had a hard type stopping his dominant swing," said Huskies coach Nancy Lill. "But on the other hand, he was very successful at stopping oppenents." Hopkins' kill efficiency was through the roof at .411.

Nic Lazarevic SchaumburgAlong with his stellar play on the court, it was the "can-do" attitude of Lazarevic that most impressed Saxons coach Jeff O'Brien. "Nic was our captain," said O'Brien, "and he was relentless with his work ethic and hustle this year." The senior had sky-high stats for the Saxons, leading the team in serving efficiency (92 percent), digs per match (10) and serve receive (93 percent). "We really counted on Nic this year to get a touch on any volleyball that was near him," added O'Brien.

Blake Maley Buffalo GroveBG coach Tim Kosiek said he appreciated Maley's communications skills and positive attitude this campaign. "Blake's understanding of the the game, and his countenance on the court, provided our team with stability and composure," said Kosiek. "That led us to many rallies from deficits to win some important matches." Maley's stat line included 512 digs to go along with a sterling 357/380 mark on serve receive. "His consistent defense and serve receive provided the opportunity for (setter Zach Schnittker) to establish our offense. Defensive players are sometimes out of the spotlight, but Blake embraced his role and served the players around him."

Mike Motyka LeydenMotyka was solid as a rock for the Eagles in posting 497 assists on the season. He also added 46 kills, and a whopping 55 aces from the service line, marks that really impressed first-year coach Lauren Dembkowski. "Mike has a great serve," said Dembkowski, "and he also has a great volleyball IQ." The coach looks forward to having Motyka around for another year, saying that "we are excited to see him continue to improve."

Tommy Murphy Rolling MeadowsMurphy was not only one of the top hitters in the area, he was also one of the best all-around competitors. There weren't any weaknesses in the senior's game. "He has been invaluable not only as a reliable hitter, but also as a leader on and off the court," said Meadows coach Kevin Bourn. Murphy swatted 366 kills for the Mustangs, to go along with 42 service aces, 21 blocks and 187 digs. "Inch for inch he is the best player in the Mid-Suburban League, in my opinion," added Bourn. "We haven't seen this athletic of a player in a long time at Rolling Meadows High School, and it will be tough to fill his shoes next year."

TJ Murray BarringtonIn addition to swatting 162 kills, Murray was the team leader for the Broncos this year. "TJ has been amazing and an example for our program," said Barrington coach Rob Ridenour. "He missed our first 12 matches, but he came back and was dominant throughout the year." Murray also commandeered 68 blocks on the season. "Everybody knew he was getting the ball," added Ridenour, "and he still hit at almost 500. He gets a little bit better every day and I can't wait to see what he'll accomplish at the next level. We'll definitely miss his on-court contributions, but we'll have an even harder time replacing him off the court."

Conor O'Brien Maine West"Conor led the team this year with his performance on the court," said Warriors coach Randy Tiller of this outstanding competitor. "A great example of this was his effort in the playoffs - Conor had 2 blocks and 20 kills against Fenton, then versus Hersey, he served five in a row to bring us within 1 point of upsetting the No. 2 seed." O'Brien excelled in 2016 with 265 kills, 20 blocks, 14 service aces, and 128 service points.

Andrew Padilla PalatinePalatine enjoyed another of its perennially succesfull seasons in 2016 and Padilla was one of the main reasons why. "I thought he was the best libero in our conference," said coach Frank Stark, "and maybe in the entire area." Padilla showed why he had the confidence of his coach by posting a 2.4 out of a scale of 3 on serve receive, and netting over 300 digs. But more important than the statistics were items that don't appear in the scorebook. "The most amazing thing about Andrew," said Stark, "was his heart and his effort."

Anthony Prochenski Elk GroveProchenski could keep many opponents off balance with his serving expertise, but his biggest contribution to the Grenadiers was on a defensive level, where he set a school single-season dig record with 490. "Anthony was team captain, " said Grens coach Daniel Windholz, "and his work ethic was second to none. His work ethic was the best I have ever experienced from a player since I started coaching at Elk Grove. His passion for the game helped our team to never be satisfied, and to reach the next level." Prochenski also served up 34 aces with a 91 percent percentage.

Dan Rogowski Buffalo GroveRogowski was a superior leaper as he dominated the middle for the Bison against taller opponents. The senior claimed 160 kills on the year with a sparkling kill efficiency of 60 percent and added 16 aces and 73 block kills. " 'Ski' makes the game fun," said BG coach Tim Kosiek. "He could jump out of the gym. He was offensively quick and he developed a consistent jump serve for us. Most importantly, his enthusiasm was contagious - he never lost his passion for the game and simply had fun being on the court."

Marc Quezada Rolling MeadowsThis superlative junior earned a starting spot in the lineup mid-season as a sophomore, and Quezada has "rolled with it ever since," said Mustangs coach Kevin Bourn. Quezada was a force on serve with 29 aces, in addition to coming up with 233 digs and becoming an all-around steadying force on the court for Meadows. "Marc committed himself 100 percent to volleyball in the off-season," said Bourn, "and it paid off in a big way. He looks forward to growing even more as a player this off-season, and coming back for a strong senior year alongside his classmates."

Matthew Schiferl WheelingWildcats coach Jason Kopkowski has no doubt that Schiferl is one of the best players in the Mid-Suburban League. "He continued his stellar play again this season," said Kopkowski of the team leader. "He takes a considerable amount of information such as the tempo of the set, how far off the net the ball is being attacked from, the height of the ball, etc., to make some of the most challenging plays look easy. "The junior had 344 digs on the year to go along with 18 aces. "Matthew was named captain by his teammates," said Kopkowsi, "and also I conversed with him regularly about our different options as a team because of his leadership, experience, and volleyball IQ."

Nikola Todorov ConantBefore this season started, Cougars coach Steven Peter said he was looking for "tenacious defense and creative offense" from his players. Todorov fit the bill in both categories, as the 6-foot-6 player hit 117 kills with a .315 hitting percentage, and also got 27 digs. Todorov said that he developed "a love for volleyball" over the four years on the team, and he showed why the Cougars depended on him at the net as well by gathering 70 blocks.

Pavel Warzecha FremdWarzecha was a force in the middle for the Vikings all season long, making the most of his varsity season. "Pavel was our solid foundation," said Fremd coach Curt Pinley. "He led us in hitting efficiency (.312) and block kills (32)." The senior also swatted 135 kills, second on the team. "He was a leader by example," said Pinley. "Pavel played with the savvy of an athlete who had been part of the varsity lineup for many years. His presence on the court was undeniable."

Zach Wheat PalatineWheat harvested some big games and some big kills in the middle for the hard-hitting Pirates this season. The senior had a .400 hitting efficiency ratio, and he also led the team in blocks, something that really impressed coach Frank Stark. "Zach is a very gifted individual," said the coach. "His potential is through the roof. When he turned it on, he was the most dangerous middle in the area."

James Woods St. ViatorWoods earned the ultimate honor this year for the Lions, being named Viator's first ever co-player of the year in the East Suburban Catholic Conference. "He was our leader on and off the floor," said Lions coach Chris Boylan. "James took charge of off-season workouts, planning the pre-practice routines and leading the team with his actions and play." The senior's success was instrumental in a terrific St. Viator campaign, hitting 331 kills, serving 39 aces, earning 152 digs and 22 solo blocks. "James lives volleyball," added Boylan," and that is exactly what this team needed to be successful."

All-area roster

Player School Year Position

Scott Baackes Prospect Senior Setter

Josh Babicz Barrington Junior Middle Hitter

Liam Benson Prospect Senior Outside Hitter

Jake Boldog Palatine Senior Setter

Ethan Carroll* Barrington Senior Outside hitter

Angelo Coniglio Hersey Senior Outside hitter

Daniel Ham Hoffman Estates Junior Defensive specialist

Max Hogan St. Viator Senior Middle

Justin Hong Hersey Junior Libero

Matt Hopkins Hersey Junior Middle

Nic Lazarevic Schaumburg Senior Libero

Blake Maley Buffalo Grove Senior Defensive specialist

Mike Motyka Leyden Junior Setter

Tommy Murphy Rolling Meadows Senior Outside Hitter

TJ Murray Barrington Senior Middle hitter

Conor O'Brien Maine West Senior Hitter

Andrew Padilla Palatine Senior Libero

Anthony Prochenski Elk Grove Senior Libero

Dan Rogowski Buffalo Grove Senior Middle hitter

Marc Quezada Rolling Meadows Junior Libero

Matthew Schiferl Wheeling Junior Libero

Zach Schnittker* Buffalo Grove Senior Setter

Nikola Todorov Conant Senior Middle blocker

Pavel Warzecha Fremd Senior Middle

Zach Wheat Palatine Senior Middle

James Woods St. Viator Senior Outside Hitter

* All-area team captains

Honorable mentionElk Grove: Kevin Braceros (Jr., OH)

Maine West: Lucas Metzger (Jr., S)

Leyden: Robert Simian (Sr., L)

Fremd: Patrick Kurka (Sr., L), Tyler Larson (Sr., OH)

Rolling Meadows: Logan Reese (Jr., OH)

Hersey: Vince Reisel (Jr., S), Dan Swan (Sr., RS)

Barrington: Joe Roeckell (Sr., OH), Mikey Stefan (Sr., Opp.)

Buffalo Grove: Ian Van Wazer (Jr., OH), Chris Tsourmas (Jr., OH/RS)

Conant: Tim Breiter (Jr., OH)

St. Viator: Colin Cull (Sr., S), Nathaniel Cull (Sr., H), Matt Trunk (DS)

Palatine: Johnny O'Shea (Soph., OH)

Selections and profiles by Bill Esbrook