Boys volleyball: West Aurora wins championship over Wheeling

Hunter Darukhanavala practically ordered room service for the West Aurora boys volleyball team in its three-set, come-from-behind victory Saturday afternoon.

With Danny Risner serving match point, a Wheeling player had to make a lunging dig.

Darukhanavala was in an optimal spot as the junior rose well above the net and slammed home match point in the Blackhawks' 16-25, 25-22 and 25-18 victory in Aurora.

It was the first West Aurora triumph at its 12-team tournament in two years.

"I was just waiting for a right moment," Darukhanavala said. "(The ball) was right over the net. I just had to put it down. After the first set, we got in the huddle and came together. We just had to come out and play our game."

Wheeling (5-1) dominated the first set by scoring 19 of the first 26 points.

Jared Moser, the Wildcats' senior outside destined for North Central College, led both teams with 12 kills.

"I think what really came apart was our serve-receive," Moser said. "That first game we were always in system. It trickled into a third game, and we couldn't quite come back."

Both West Aurora (6-1) and Wheeling needed a third set to advance to the finals with respective wins over Oswego and Schaumburg.

There were some anxious moments for the Blackhawks in seeking to force another set against the Wildcats.

The Blackhawks' Jeramie Gutierrez had a direct role in extending the match.

The 6-foot-3 senior outside hitter had a kill to give service honors to himself; Gutierrez then closed out the second set with an ace.

"We played really flat that (first set)," Gutierrez said. "(The kill-ace sequence) felt really good. Everybody was screaming and happy. It really brings us up, even when we are down."

Connor Vrchota made his presence felt along front row for West Aurora with 5 blocks.

Jan Baranowski added 5 kills for Wheeling.

"The second set we didn't do a good job to their offensive changes," Wheeling coach Jason Kopkowski said. "The big thing is, we became ultra-passive as well."

"It wasn't anything dramatic," West Aurora coach Tolis Koskinaris said of his message between the first two sets. "We relaxed and just tried to play some volleyball. I think, on any given day, we could be real good."

Geneva (6-6) is at .500 on the season after dropping the third-place match in the Silver bracket.

"We're definitely making strides," Geneva coach Stephanie Rasmussen said. "We have a full roster now. Reilly Waldoch is our go-to player in terms of being an athlete. He plays three sports and he didn't even get a full day off because of the (Class 4A basketball) supersectional."

Schaumburg fell to Oswego in the third-place match of the Gold bracket.

Ryan Regier and Isaiah Mitchell were the offensive leaders for the Saxons.

Schaumburg fell to Wheeling in the second semifinal after winning the first game.

"We're a young team, so we're still learning and growing," Schaumburg coach Eric Melton said. "We kind of stepped off the gas pedal after the first set. It snowballed a little bit after that."

Naperville North had a straight-sets victory over Bolingbrook to win the Silver division.

Kevin Doran and John Jaworski had monster performances for the Huskies as the former had 24 kills and 10 blocks in four matches.

Jaworski complemented Doran with 20 kills, 18 digs and 4 blocks.

"Digs are always so much fun," Jaworski said. "We came out with so much energy (against Bolingbrook). They have some big hitters. We knew that coming in."

""We knew we had to win the rest," Doran said of a pool-play loss to Schaumburg. "We did a great job passing."

Waubonsie Valley is still looking for its first win this spring.

"It was basically our JV team," Waubonsie Valley coach Noel Soto said. "Half of the (starters) are on vacation."

Freshman Michael Lu averaged 9 kills per match in the Warriors' four losses.

"He's our rising star," Soto said.