Boys volleyball: Hersey takes down Rolling Meadows
Hersey boys volleyball coach Laura Gerber was looking for a spark for her Huskies at Rolling Meadows Tuesday night.
Trailing 17-16 in the first game to the Mustangs, Gerber received the turnaround she was looking for.
Hersey ran off a 5-0 spurt in building a 21-17 lead and would go on to win 25-21. The momentum carried over to game two which resulted in a 25-17 decision for the Huskies.
"We were a bit choppy in the first game," said Gerber. "Our passing wasn't very strong. When we had that run in the first game, it carried over to game two. Volleyball is a game of momentum and when you have it, it's hard to stop. Once we started passing better the offense was able to find the seams in their defense."
The win kept the 15-4 and 4-2 Huskies in the race as the second round of play started in the Mid-Suburban East.
The Huskies topped the 6-12, 2-4 Mustangs for the second time this season.
A service error by the Mustangs started the 5-0 run for the Huskies. Brent Gurvis, Carter Zagorski and Luke Larson and an attack error by Rolling Meadows covered the run.
"In between games we cleared some things up," said Larson. "We communicated better and had more trust in each other. All that helped us win the second game. To keep going we have to keep showing consistency."
In Game 2 the Mustangs stayed within 4-3 but then the Huskies began to take advantage of Rolling Meadows service errors and 3 kills by Alec Naumowicz.
A 10-3 spurt gave Hersey a 14-6 lead. The lead expanded to 21-11 on the fifth of 6 service errors by the Mustangs.
"Our service errors really hurt us," said Rolling Meadows coach Kevin Bourn. "Everyone can miss a shot but you can't miss five or six and expect to win. It was just a lack of focus. We have a very young team and they can surprise you both ways.'
Michael Sobkowicz and Danny Fallon each had 4 kills for Meadows.
Tim Nugent led the Huskies with 7 kills for the day. Jakub Migus played a strong floor game with 18 assists and Adam Mysza was credited with 12 digs.
Gurvis, a middle hitter provided the Huskies with some big first-game kills and made his presence know around the net.
"We were able to find some good open spaces," said Gurvis. "We were able to stay away from two blockers around the net. This team has such good chemistry and we are comfortable with each other on the court. We had a slow start in the first game but we played better in the second game."