Boys volleyball: Neuqua Valley earns date with Hinsdale Central
It got hot in the Illinois Math and Science Academy gym on Friday. The temperature, too.
The Neuqua Valley and Hinsdale Central boys volleyball teams both required three games to win their respective IMSA sectional semifinals on Friday in Aurora.
In a District 204 skirmish, No. 1 seed Neuqua beat No. 6 seed Metea Valley 25-18, 18-25, 25-20. No. 7 Hinsdale Central followed with a 18-25, 25-12, 25-23 victory over No. 3 Benet. Neuqua Valley (30-7) and Hinsdale Central (28-10) meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday for the IMSA sectional title.
Neuqua Valley (30-7) lacks star setter Kevin Kauling, in Costa Rica with the U.S. Junior National Team during the playoffs; a month ago kill master Jeremy Grove sprained an ankle, his return not guaranteed.
"I know we were in the hunt, in the conversation at the beginning of the season when we were healthy and things were kind of clicking," said Wildcats coach Erich Mendoza, "but as the season came to a close nobody was really talking about us so much anymore. I told the guys, you want to prove them wrong, show them that we're one of the best teams in the state."
Metea Valley (23-13) wasn't considered among them - Mustangs coach John Aister said the underdog role "kind of suits us" - but followed Neuqua's 25-18 victory with its own 25-18 win in Game 2. Fans of both schools filled the bleachers in the hot gym and got loud as Metea finished a 10-3 run on Matt Nealon's ace.
In Game 3 no more than 3 points separated the teams until Neuqua's Francisco Comas twice saved points with digs and Grove hammered his 20th kill of the match. Grove then grudgingly dinked it over Metea's block for his 21st kill and the 25-20 win.
"I hate tipping," Grove said. "It's not the man's way to get a kill, so I just keep swinging as hard as I can and then if I see a tip open, then obviously I'm going to get it for the point."
Neuqua setter Andrew Schlegel recorded 29 assists and Comas 10 digs. Metea was led by Andrew Kohut with 12 kills, Cayden Reigle with 11 kills and Matt Nealon with 25 assists, 5 kills and 4 digs.
Metea went 2-0 against Neuqua in the regular season.
"When you beat a team twice it's hard to beat them the third time," said Kohut, who will play at Belmont Abbey in North Carolina.
Benet (27-11) started with a 25-18 win, then Hinsdale Central caught fire in Game 2 to win 25-12 and even the match.
Fans stood to applaud both teams entering Game 3, which began with the Red Devils cruising to a 10-4 lead. After Redwings coach Jeff Steinberg took a second timeout, Benet rallied to tie the score three times, the last at 21-21.
"They talked to each other in the huddle and they said, hey, we're not going down like this. Let's go and let's just play," Steinberg said.
Hinsdale Central's Cal Snyder ended it, 25-23, one kills down the left line, another a cross-court smash.
"We were friends since freshman year, we just grew together," said Benet's Tommy Kmieciak, who had 23 assists. Jack Andringa had 12 kills and libero Sean Becker made 16 digs.
"Volleyball just kind of brought us together and we stayed really close friends," Kmieciak said. "We trust each other, we love each other, so it was just hard to see it come to an end."
Hinsdale Central has not faced Neuqua Valley this season. Snyder takes the Wildcats' No. 1 sectional seed with a grain of salt.
"I think seed's just a number," he said. "I think we can hang with any team in the state and Neuqua's no different."