Boys volleyball: Scouting the Fox Valley
BartlettCoach: Bob Schwantz
Conference: Upstate Eight Valley
2016 finish: 10-20, 1-9 (10th place)
Top returning players: Senior Tom Radomski (OH)
Key newcomers: Sophomores Toiyon Walton (MB), Jacob Bush (MB), Martin Radomski (OH), Sohum Desai (libero), Garrett Jurina (RS)
Season outlook: Youth is the name of the game for the Hawks this season. "This is the youngest team I have ever coached," said Schwantz. "Four of our six starting players are sophomores and all five of the sophomores have an extremely high ceiling. Our youth definitely will be a challenge to overcome against more veteran teams, but this will be a fun season watching these guys all grow together." Senior Matt Bickelhaupt is the team's setter. "Matt is a very athletic kid with soft hands so I'm excited to see how he does with these younger guys. He also is very aware that he needs to be the vocal leader of the group at all times." Patience will be a key for this youthful Bartlett team. "They need to grow," said Schwantz. "Every tough serve, pass, hit attempt, they need to get better. Even if it is a small baby step forward, every touch needs to result in them getting better. I know there will be growing pains along the way, especially during this season, but watching them grow together is going to be very fun." Martin and Tom Radomski take over at outside hitter for the graduated duo of Nick Arco and Justin Hayes. "Our outside position has always been a go-to for our team, so they will be tasked with keeping that going for us," said Schwantz.
ElginCoach: Scott Stewart
Conference: Upstate Eight River
2016 finish: 20-16, 3-3
Top returning players: Seniors Courtese Cooper (6-8, MB), Walker Demel (6-4, OH), Marcus Gonzalez (6-4, OH), Frank Ceballos (5-11, S), David Ramirez (6-3, MB)
Key newcomers: Juniors Orlando Barrera (5-7, libero), Antonio Campagna (6-5, MB-RS), Brian Cedillo (5-8, DS), Edwin Garcia (5-10, OH), Nilay Patel (6-0, S), Roman Sentowski (6-0, OH)
Season outlook: Elgin will benefit from Cooper, Demel and Gonzalez beginning their third seasons on the varsity. With a veteran core back, Stewart said the team's goal is simple. "To build on our success from last season," he said. "Last year we won 20 matches which was a new school record for wins in a season surpassing 2015's total of 12. This year we are looking to set a record for the second season in a row. We have a very athletic and tall team with five boys returning from last year. When they are all working together we're going to be very tough to beat." Stewart also is excited about the talent that is spread out across the court. "I believe we are very strong at every position," he said. "I feel we should be at the top of our conference this season. The boys know what it's going to take to win this year and are excited to get underway." Elgin's six newcomers were starters on a 20-plus-win JV team last year. "It should be a very exciting spring on Maroon Drive," said Stewart.
LarkinCoach: Jason Yeates
Conference: Upstate Eight River
2016 finish: 5-22, no conference wins
Top returning players: Grant Huttendorf (OH), Danny Keobandth (MB)
Key newcomers: Senior Chris Plantz (6-2, OH), junior Noah Severson (6-2, RS), sophomore Carlos Santos (5-9, RS)
Season outlook: Yeates sees a different mindset in the gym this spring. "The team is very excited to get this season excited," he said. "They have high hopes for themselves this year and are coming in with a different level of confidence than in seasons past. They know it is going to take a lot of hard work and dedication to get the program going in the right direction, but over the last couple seasons they have noticed the change and will continue to work toward being competitive within the conference."
GenevaCoach: Stephanie Rasmussen
Conference: Upstate Eight River
2016 finish: 15-16, 5-5
Top returning players: Seniors Matt Johnston (OH), Michael Fuller (MB), Matt Will (libero)
Key newcomers: Senior Dominic Navigato (RS), juniors Max McCloughan (OH), Anthony Panizzi (MB), sophomore Jack Bowman (S)
Season outlook: Geneva sports a roster with five players over 6-2. "We have a lot of talent offensively," said Rasmussen. "We are hoping to have a blocking presence this season." Rasmussen likes the vibe in the practice gym thus far. "This year's team is willing to learn and apply feedback given to them," she said. "I expect my returning players to be leaders, communicate and motivate every player in our program." Will moves from right side to libero. "I am excited to see the dynamic Matt brings to this team," said Rasmussen, who also lauded the potential of defensive specialist Jacob Carli. "Jacob works hard and is disciplined. I expect big things out of him." Rasmussen said the practice gym will be particularly important for the Vikings this season. "In order to be successful this season we need to work as a team and give 110 percent at every practice," she said. "With having such a short season and few players who play in the offseason, every practice is crucial to making sure we are ready to compete. I have a very coachable, open-minded, driven and determined group of volleyball players. I expect our team to grow exponentially from March to May. We have a lot to learn but I expect us to be very competitive when May rolls around."
HuntleyCoach: Gerry Marchand
Conference: None
2016 finish: 1 win
Top returning players: Seniors Jacob Przydzial (6-1, OH), Josh Bremer (5-11, S), Juan Collazo (5-8, libero)
Key newcomers: Senior Luke Mahnke (6-5, MB), junior Charlie Johnson (6-4, MB)
Season outlook: Marchand sees the same strength he saw last season. "Twenty-plus guys who want to get better at volleyball and are willing to compete regardless of being the underdog every time we step onto the court," he said. "Much like last year, we have a bunch of athletic guys willing to learn a new sport their last couple years of high school. They don't expect to go downstate. They just want to compete and improve. That's unique, commendable and really fun to coach." Mahnke and Johnson will help in the middle spots "that require a ton of athleticism," the coach said. "I think Charlie and Luke are going to make tremendous strides before the season is over." Setter Bremer is one of several key returners. "That's a luxury for any volleyball offense," said Marchand of having a returning setter. Marchand also gives high praise to libero Juan Collazo. "He can be fun to watch because he is a soccer player who can dig with his feet better than any libero around," he said.
South ElginCoach: Adam Plach
Conference: Upstate Eight Valley
2016 finish: 22-10, 6-3
Top returning players: Seniors Tyler Turner (OH), Jacob Ramos (OH), Michael Bardfield (MB-RS), Aaron Gephart (S)
Key newcomers: Juniors Joe Silvey (MB), King Thomas (OH), Edwin Leon (DS), Craig Seykota (DS), Sergio Mares (S), sophomore Vincent Miszkiewicz (MB)
Season outlook: "We are a very different team than last year," said Plach. "Our team chemistry is going to be very important. We have a lot of newcomers to varsity volleyball and even the guys who are returning don't have a lot of game experience." Plach said he's encouraged with the team's offensive promise but cautions serving will be important. "I like that we have a guy or two we should be able to depend on to get us kills," he said. "Our serve is going to be very important as well. We are not a very big team this year so we need to get teams out of system to help our defense out." Turner, a returning starter, is planning on playing at Aurora University. Miszkiewicz is one of those new varsity performers, in fact he's new to the high-school sport. "Vincent is playing his first year of high-school volleyball," said Plach. "He played in middle school and has some basic skills down. He is a very good athlete. We are looking forward to seeing how he develops as the season moves along."
StreamwoodCoach: Dan Aloisio
Conference: Upstate Eight River
2016 finish: 7-24, 0-6
Top returning players: Seniors Gerardo Sanchez (OH), Daniel Flores (libero-DS), Filiberto Ortega (S-RS), Christian Mendez (MB)
Key newcomers: Senior Manny Silva (OH), juniors Sam Enno (S), Jack Mayburn (MB)
Season outlook: Aloisio is high on the potential of this year's Sabres group. "We have some very talented individually skilled players combined with a few experienced players should make us competitive in conference," he said. "We have some potentially big hitters. If they connect well with the setter we could have a very successful season." New setter Enno will have plenty of targets to work with in Sanchez, Mendez and Silva. Teamwork is being stressed in the early going for Streamwood. "They need to work on being a unit," said Aloisio. "The team needed to bring their individual skills together and work with having a new head coach, chemistry and communication to be successful. They are very determined to succeed and are willing to work hard to reach their goals."
St. Charles East
Coach: Kate McCullagh
Conference: Upstate Eight River
2016 finish: 21-10, 7-3
Top returning players: Seniors Chris Foerstel (DS), Dom Sciortino (MB), Jim Atilano (DS), Shane Breslin (DS)
Key newcomers: Seniors Justin Stepien (OH), Jeff Makowski (DS), juniors Ben Adesso (RS), Drew Olsen (MB), Lucas Coker (S), Matt Kolet (OH), Zach Kennedy (RS), sophomore Mik Brunovskis (OH)
Season outlook: "At this point we have great team chemistry and we are looking forward to the season ahead," said McCullagh.
St. Charles NorthCoach: Todd Weimer
Conference: Upstate Eight River
2016 finish: 24-15, 8-2 (third place)
Top returning players: Seniors Danny Throop (6-0, S-RS), Sean O'Leary (libero), Danny Barsanti (MB), juniors Tommy Koppang (6-6, OH-RS), Max Dedobbelaere (DS-libero), Kyle Donlevy (OH)
Key newcomers: Seniors Evan Cordt (MB), Nick Duhownik (MB), juniors David Beach (S-RS), Brendan Dal Degan (OH), Caleb Del Rosario (S-DS), Zach Yakes (MB)
Season outlook: Koppang posted 141 kills and 25 blocks last year, while Throop had 311 setting assists and 17 aces. O'Leary racked up 169 digs. "These guys are hungry and want to compete and win," said Weimer. "They also are a great group of guys who want to work together and help each other. We have each other's back. We also are returning a lot of guys from last year's team that made it to the sectional championship." Weimer likes the diversity of his offense. "Any of our guys can score," he said. "We don't have just one threat. It will be pretty balanced and I can't wait to use them. We also are tough from behind the service line, which will help give us points as well." Weimer also sees his team being strong on the passing and defensive fronts. "We should be able to side out consistently and earn a lot of first-ball kills out of serve-receive," he said. The coach has been thrilled with Throop's leadership as a team captain. "He will do anything possible," said Weimer. Koppang is getting some Division I college looks. Weimer said one key will be the mental part of the game with his group. "We will have some setbacks and downfalls like any other team, but we will need to be able to learn how to deal with them and move forward," he said. "Always staying positive, looking at the bright moments and finding ways to support each other at all times will be critical in our success this season. I like that we are experienced, but still young and hungry. We have a great group that just wants the best for the team and the program. We do have some areas that need improvement to help us remain competitive at all times, but that will allow us to grow and learn from our mistakes and losses."
St. Edward Coach: Maddie Boyd
Conference: None
2016 finish: Not available
Top returning players: Juniors Collan O'Neill (6-1, OH), Patrick Gleeson (5-9, S), Liam Jackson (6-7, RS)
Key newcomers: Freshman Evan Sjatar (6-2, MB)
Season outlook: Athleticism is in good supply for the Green Wave. "We have a lot of very athletic players, many playing multiple sports," said Boyd. "They are hard workers and willing to learn." Gleeson returns to lead the St. Edward offense. "He does a good job mixing up the sets and not becoming predicable," said Boyd. "We have strong pin players who can put the ball down and in the middle Evan is very athletic and we expect him to be a big part of our offense." Boyd labels her defense as very scrappy. "They work very hard to make sure the ball never touches the ground on their side of the net. We also have a few big, strong blockers to help take away pressure from our back row. Our serve-receive passing is consistent and they do a good job putting the setter in a good position to make plays." Ball control is a big talking point in the early going. "I have stressed ball control from day one," said Boyd. "We need to focus on the first contact. That may be a tough, aggressive serve or a solid serve-receive. They need to stay disciplined on serve-receive and defense and remain aggressive, yet consistent on offense. We need to keep the ball in the court and let our opponents make the mistakes." Jackson will be another key contributor. "Liam is a big lefty with a massive amount of potential," said Boyd. "He can really put the ball down and puts up a tough obstacle for outside hitters to get past." Boyd noted the team's makeup will help push it forward this season. "I have a great group of boys that comes in the gym ready for whatever I throw at them," she said. "They take every piece of information I give them and really want to get better. They have such a positive attitude and really seem to love the sport."
Westminster ChristianCoach: Guy Lum
Conference: None
2016 finish: 19-11
Top returning players: Seniors Micah Vanderbilt (5-11, S), Andrew Kovachevich (6-0, OH), Cameron Hoyt (6-3, MB)
Key newcomer: Sophomore Stefan Liu (5-11, MB)
Season outlook: Lum is impressed with the Warriors' willingness to work as a team. One player in particular to keep an eye on is Vanderbilt, a four-year player. "Micah has been our setter for four years and is a stable influence in our offense," said Lum. The coach added he's been pleased with the way the veteran players have been patient with the newcomers on the team and noted a key for the season will be for the group to learn fundamentals quickly.
West AuroraCoach: Tolis Koskinaris
Conference: Upstate Eight Valley
2016 finish: 27-9, co-conference champions with Glenbard East
Top returning players: Seniors Thomas Kovanic (6-6, OH), Tommy Garcia (6-3, S), Manny Chaidez (6-4, MB), Vincenzo Manella (6-3, RS)
Key newcomers: Juniors Michael Walker (6-3, MB), Eddie Martinez (5-5, libero), Tyler Long (5-10, OH)
Season outlook: West Aurora returns a number of key players from last year's conference-championship squad including first-team all-state selection Kovanic, along with all-conference setter Garcia. "We expect to compete for the conference championship, regional championship and possible sectional showdown with Glenbard West. We are strong in all areas." The coach said Glenbard East and St. Charles East are two teams to keep an eye on in the conference.